


Taking The Fall

by a_dot_burr_ell



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, F/F, SuperCat Slam, smut later, supercat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-08-18 08:50:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8156261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_dot_burr_ell/pseuds/a_dot_burr_ell
Summary: Kara is too late to stop an attack on Cat that leaves her assailant dead in the bullpen at CatCo. Unwilling to let this ruin Cat, Kara decides to cover it up. When there's finally an investigation into the disappearance of Kara's new boss, Snapper Carr, Kara finds herself the prime suspect.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My take for the September Supercat Slam theme of 'Fall'. The violence is in the first chapter. Trigger warning for strangulation, blood, and stabbing with office supplies.

Kara scowled, the entirety of the city planner’s budget for the last few years strew across her desk. She was spinning her pen between her fingers as she tried to see patterns or discrepancies in the numbers, being careful not to lose control and snap the cheap plastic. Again.  
  
She'd been studying the budgets for the last few hours, determined to find something concrete to use for her article before she left the office for the weekend. If she'd been anyone else, Kara would have been able to use the Tribune's internal database to digitally compare and analyze the numbers but it seemed as if her new boss was determined to lock her out of the system unless it was absolutely necessary.  
  
Snapper Carr had made it perfectly clear from her first day that he saw her transfer to the Tribune as nothing more than a nuisance. He griped, loudly and often, that Kara didn't deserve her position just because she spent three years fetching coffee for the boss. He tore apart all of her pitches, sneered at any mention of Supergirl, and, when she was allowed to write a piece, he rewrote more than half of everything she handed in.  
  
Even know, she could still hear his latest reprimand he delivered in front of her coworkers burning in her ears.  
  
“ _Dammit, Danvers. Being Cat's favorite doesn't mean I have to indulge this childish story you dream up! Bring me hard evidence or else get the hell out of my office!_ ”  
  
There was a snap and Kara was brought back to the present. Looking down, Kara realized that she’d snapped her pen in half. Ink was spreading over her fingers and soaked pieces of plastic are falling to the floor.  
  
“Crap!” Kara ducked down to quickly grab the offending pieces and throw them in the trash, wiping her hands with tissue.  
  
“Burning the midnight oil?”  
  
Kara froze, grimacing when she realized that someone had caught her in the middle of an awkward situation. Looking forward, Kara's embarrassment in being caught was diminished slightly when she realized that Cat had come to visit her.  
  
Cat was standing in her doorway, an amused smirk on her face as she watched Kara struggle to clean up her mess. The older woman was wearing a pair of glasses on top of her head, a stack of files clutched to her chest. Kara glanced at the clock and saw that it was already after ten o’clock in the evening.  
  
“It’s not quite midnight yet.”  
  
Cat hummed and seated herself in one of the chairs in front of Kara's desk.  
  
As Cat set down her files, Kara glanced the top sheet and recognized the files as something she'd previously done for Cat. “Don't you have an assistant for that?”  
  
“You'd be surprised at how hard it is to find decent help.” Kara's lips twitched at the veiled praise. “But still,” Cat continued. “I don't think I've approved overtime for any of the Tribune employees for months now.”  
  
“I’m not, strictly speaking, on company time right now,” Kara said. Cat crooked an eyebrow and Kara felt compelled to explain. “Snapper doesn't want any pitches that don’t have any hard evidence backing it up so I'm just doing a little research to make sure it's worth it.”  
  
Cat’s eyebrows knit together. “That's not how it works with a pitch. What is Snapper doing down there?” Kara looked down and Cat made a tutting noise with her tongue. “Is this a rule he has for all of his junior staff writers, or only you?”  
  
Obviously, word had not reached her about Snapper's dislike of her. Not wanting to cause a problem, Kara tried to backpedal. “Maybe I just misheard him.”  
  
“Kiera.”  
  
“Ms. Grant, I'm sure he had a good reaso—”  
  
“Tell me,” Cat demanded.  
  
“It's just for me,” she admitted. 

“I knew there would be some who would resent your promotion.” Cat shook her head. “I guess I was naive not to expect it from that old hard ass.”  
  
“It's fine, honestly.” Kara tried to look on the bright side. “I'm sure eventually he’ll…”  
  
“No, he'll hate you forever,” Cat said cheerfully. Kara blanched and Cat smirked. “You won't always be liked by everyone; it's a good lesson to learn.”  
  
Kara slid down in her chair. “I know.”  
  
“But,” Cat continued. “Snapper should eventually learn to trust your instincts. As I have.”  
  
“Thank you, Ms. Grant.”

“Please, Kara. We're not on the clock. Call me Cat.”

“Cat.”  
  
Cat’s smile softened for a moment before she shook her head almost imperceptibly. “So, do you want to share what you've been working on?”  
  
Smiling, Kara picked up one of the reports. “Okay, so, I've been noticing that the city's been making repairs more slowly than when Supergirl first arrived.”  
  
Cat's eyes flashed at the allusion to her alter ego but didn't comment, which Kara was grateful for. Kara was pretty sure that Cat had known her secret since myriad but they'd danced around the issue for so long that she didn't know how to broach the subject now.  
  
Kara cleared her throat. “Anyways, I first thought that it meant the city's incidental funds were just being drained by the excess damages but the budget actually shows that the funds were extended to offset it and, yet…”

“You think someone using the money to pad their wallet?”  
  
“I know they are but I can't yet pinpoint who.”  
  
Cat studied her for a minute. “You have some idea, though.”  
  
Kara paused. She hadn't spoken her suspicions aloud yet but Cat had jumped on that angle immediately. “Miles Pardee. His signature is on all of the requests to the state for more money.”

“The mayor?” Cat considered that. “That makes sense—he'd be the one to sign all the estimates and had access to the records. It seems like you have a solid lead there. Play your cards right and you may just end up above the fold.”  
  
Kara smiled. “Thanks.”  
  
“Go home, Kara. I'll have Witt give you a log on to the Tribune database tomorrow.” Cat stood, grabbing her files off the desk. “I'll be going home soon, too. I think I'll leave these for Amy to figure out tomorrow.”  
  
“Amber,” Kara offered the correct assistant name.  
  
“Goodnight, Kara.” Cat gave her an impetuous wave of the hand and left the office.  
  
“Goodnight, Cat.”  
  
Feeling better about the future of her story, Kara decided to take Cat's advice and call it a night. She carefully put her research away and vacated her office, wondering if her favorite Chinese food restaurant was still open.  
  


* * *

  
A half hour later and Cat was finally ready to go home. She slipped her heels back on, her carpeted office the only place she allowed herself to be so unrestrained. Grabbing her coat, she made a point of putting on—Carter always reminded her that it was late enough in the year to get quite chilly at night.  
  
Cat left her office, dropping her stacks of reports with a note detailing careful instructions on how to file them on her assistant’s desk on her way out. As much as she missed Kara as her assistant, she had to admit that Amber was more than a halfway decent replacement; it was probably time that Amber learned some of the more intricate details of her job.  
  
She headed straight for her personal elevator, pausing when she heard a low thud. Changing direction, Cat headed towards the noise, unsurprised to see that there was still light under Kara's office door. Clucking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Cat pushed the door open for the second time that night.  
  
“Honestly, Kiera, I know you don't need as much sleep as the rest of us but—” Cat broke off when she saw that it was, most definitely, not Kara.  
  
“Cat!” Snapper Carr turned frantically towards her as Cat let herself further into the office. “Funny seeing you here!”  
  
“Not really.” Cat placed one hand on her hip. “My office is on this floor. What are you doing here at this time of night?”  
  
He chuckled nervously, perspiration coating his forehead. “I was looking for Danvers. I know she usually works late. She's a trooper that one. Wish I had ten more like her.”  
  
After needling the truth out of Kara earlier, Cat didn't appreciate Snapper’s lie. It put her immediately on edge. “Kara went home for the night.”  
  
“Oh, well I'll just have to catch her on Monday.” He moved forward, grabbing something off of Kara's desk and holding slightly behind himself.  
  
Cat stepped into his path. “What is that?”  
  
“Oh, this?” Snapper quickly flashed her the files. “It was just something I was going to give to her but I'll just wait.  
  
Snapper moved towards the door and Cat stepped aside. Thinking that Cat was going to let him pass, he let his guard down. Taking advantage of his lapse, Cat swiped the files.  
  
“Hey!”  
  
“These are the city's budget reports that Kara was looking at earlier.” Cat's eyes flicked between the reports and Snapper's reddening face. It only took a moment for it to click. “How long have you been on the take?” She surreptitiously slipped her hand into her purse, searching for the pepper spray.   
  
“If you're not on the take, you're dead.” He shrugged, unrepentant. “Which I'm sure your pretty assistant will be discovering right about now.”  
  
Cat froze with her finger on the bottle. “You were never looking for her. You were just in charge of cleaning up the evidence.” Snapper nodded. “Well, I wouldn't count Kara out just yet.” She tried to project confidence but she could hear a slight waver in her voice.    
  
Cat's heart was pounding in her chest. If what this slime ball said was true, the mayor had put a hit out on Kara. While Cat was almost one hundred percent sure that Kara was Supergirl, there was always that small part of her brain that thought ‘what if?’  
  
“I'm surprised, Cat. You never used to care about your assistants.” He stalked forward.  
  
“And you used to care about the truth.” Cat braced herself as he lunged, whipping out the bottle of pepper spray and getting him right in the eyes.  
  
“You bitch!” Snapper howled in pain, his eyes red, swollen, and watering. He didn't stop his attack, lunging forward towards her.  
  
Cat used his momentum against him, shoving the heel of her palm into his nose with enough force to elicit a satisfying crunch. Blood spouted from his nose, getting on her hand and coat sleeve. Blinded and bleeding, Carr over shot his attack and hit Kara's desk, falling to the floor.  
  
With Snapper was sufficiently incapacitated, Cat sidestepped him and made it to the hallway. She groped for her purse, cursing when she realized that she must have dropped it in the chaos. She made a beeline for her office, her goal the panic button under the desk in her office. She briefly wondered where her security was when she heard Snapper fumbling out of the office. She broke out into a sprint but Snapper’s large stature made up for the distance and he finally managed to tackle her.  
  
They flew forward and, too close to the bullpen, crashed into the nearest desk. Cat hit hard, her ribs making contact with the edge, winding her. She tried to grab onto something, anything, but only managed to send the contents of the desk spilling onto the ground.  
  
“Ah,” Cat groaned, turning onto her back and trying to get her bearings.  
  
Before she knew it, Snapper was fumbling up her body to wrap his rough hands around her neck, her scream dying in her throat as he constricted her windpipe. She sputtered and fought, trying to get enough leverage to kick him off. Unsuccessful, she clawed at his hands and face but couldn't get her nails deeply enough to make him let go.  
  
She was gasping for breath, bursts of light appearing in her vision. She would lose consciousness soon, she was sure, and she was beginning to hear a rushing in her ears. Cat stopped trying to pry him off of her and instead groped around on the floor for anything she could use. Eventually, Cat felt something metallic that she could wrap her hand around.  
  
She didn't know exactly what the implement was, only that it felt metallic and ended in a point. Putting as much strength as she could behind the blow with her fading consciousness, Cat stabbed her weapon straight into any part of her attacker she could reach. Cat felt some warm liquid hit her face and his grip slackened on her throat. Cat gasped, trying to draw as much air into her starved lungs as possible. It hurt as she inhaled, causing intense coughing that felt as if she was tearing her throat. Eventually, Cat was strong enough to put some distance between them, crawling as far away as was possible in the cramped space.  
  
With her breath coming easier a debt vision clearing, Cat shakily got to her feet. She fully expected Snapper to come at her again and prepared to run, hoping she could get to her office and lock the door to give her long enough to call for help. Slowly, the blood pounding in her ears faded and a few sounds filtered through her panicked state—a dial tone from the phone she'd knocked to the floor, her ragged breathing, and a strange gurgling sound she could immediately place.  
  
Turning back to look behind her, Cat realized what the noise was and why she hadn't been attacked again. In freeing herself from Snapper’s grip, her makeshift weapon had found its mark a little too well. Snapper was lying on the floor, wide eyed, his body twitching, a letter opener stuck in the side of his neck.   
  
Before she could move, Snapper stopped trying to draw in breath and his struggling slowed and stopped. The light faded from his eyes, lines of his face relaxing before his body gave one last shudder and sagged. Cat sat, froze in horror as her mind processed that she may have just killed Snapper Carr.  
  
Cat slowly approached his side, picking up his arm and pressing two fingers against his wrist. There was no pulse. Cat dropped his arm, watching it flop lamely against the floor. She backed quickly away, sliding to the floor when the back of her legs hit the desk.  
  
She didn't know how long she sat there, only knowing that the phone she'd knocked to the floor had moved on from the dial tone in favor of the blaring disconnect signal. Just wanting to make the noise stop, Cat reached for the receiver, pulling the wire until the base of the phone was within her reach. Rather than simply hanging up the receiver on the base, Cat pressed the button to reset the dial tone.  
  
She didn't realize until her fingers were moving over the keys that she was dialing. She knew without looking who she was calling, the number so familiar after three ears of use. Cat raises the receiver to her ear, listening as the line connected.  
  
“Hello?” Kara's voice filtered through the speaker.  
  
“Kara?” Cat winced at how raw her voice sounded.  
  
“Cat? What's wrong?”  
  
“I need you.” There was a beat of silence and then—  
  
“I'm on my way.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter!

“Thank you! Come again!”

“Thanks!” Kara exited her favorite Chinese food restaurant, her usual to go order in her grasp.

She headed down the block, scrolling through her phone, looking for a quiet alley to turn into so that she could fly home. The first such alleyway appeared after three storefronts, planning to duck down past the dumpsters beside the Qwiki-Mart. She listened to be sure that nobody was paying her any attention before takeoff, and frowned when she heard the footsteps of three different people following her down the alley.

“Excuse me, miss!”

Kara's head whipped around to the guy addressing her. Tall, sandy hair and beard trimmed pristinely, dressed in slacks and a button down shirt. He wouldn't have looked out of place at CatCo. He had two guys with him who were dressed the same.

“Can I help you?” Kara hoped that he was just looking for the closest bar.

He look at her curiously. “You're Kara Danvers, right?”

“What can I help you with?” Kara asked warily. It wasn't a good sign that they knew her name.

“Mayor Pardee heard about your article. He’s very impressed.” The other two guys with him laughed.

The smile faded from her face. So that's what this was about. “You really don't have to do this.”

The guy on the right pulled out a police baton, the one on the left a set of brass knuckles. The guy in the middle didn't make any moves, only there to watch. Sighing, Kara put her bag of food on the ground.

She had to think about how to handle this. She could easily let them break their baton on her skull or bend those brass knuckles against her jaw but that would probably be a dead giveaway. Glad that Alex forced her to learn how to pretend to take a hit like a human, Kara sunk into a defensive position.

“Look at that,” one of the guys said to his accomplice. “Little girl thinks she can take us!” His friends laughing as they looked her up and down, obviously judging her by the cardigan and pencil skirt she was wearing.

She scoffed at his ribbing. “I'll show you little girl.”

Not waiting for them to attack first, Kara ran forward, by passing the two with weapons and nailing the third guy with a quick right hook and the least amount of strength possible. He crumpled like a rag doll, unconscious.

“What the fu—”

Kara didn't wait for him to finish, wrenching the baton out of his grip and tossing it to the floor. Even surprised by being disarmed, her assailant still aimed a punch at her gut. Kara absorbed the blow as best she could but she could still hear his fist fracture slightly. The guy moaned piteously, pulling his arm back and shaking out his hand. Kara gave him a soft punch to the jaw and watched as he joined his colleague in unconsciousness.

Kara heard rather than felt as the third guy aimed a hit to the back of her head. She tucked her chin to her chest so that the blow barely grazed her. Taking advantage of his open position, Kara grabbed his arm and lifted the last guy off his feet, flipping him over her shoulder. He hit, maybe a little harder than was necessary, and Kara heard the air leave his lungs. He, wisely, didn't get up.

“Okay.” She dusted off her clothes. “Where'd I leave my food?”

She spotted the bag a few feet away and leisurely wandered back to it. She was about to grab it and find an emptier alleyway when her phone started vibrating in her pocket. Glancing at the screen, Kara saw the number as coming from CatCo.

“Hello?”

There was the sound of labored breathing. “Kara?”

“Cat?” Cat’s voice was easily recognizable but she sounded different than when they'd spoken earlier in the evening. It made her uneasy. “What's wrong?”

“I need you.”

A groan from nearby reminded Kara of her failed attackers. Whatever had happened to Cat since Kara left probably had to do with the little party that had found her. Her unease grew. She needed to get to Cat as quickly as possible.

“I'm on my way.” Kara hung up the phone and took off running to find cover, abandoning her attackers and take-out.

When she was adequately hidden from view, she shot into the air, heading for CatCo. She landed on the roof, using a burst of super speed to enter the building through the stairwell. She arrived on the office floor, letting her senses try and seek out any sign of people.

She immediately found Cat’s heartbeat, the familiar cadence a little faster than usual. As always, the rhythm of Cat’s heartbeat had a calming effect on her, and Kara felt herself move towards the sound automatically. After all, there wasn't a sign of another heartbeat in the area.

Kara hadn't even made it to her office before she realized something was very wrong. Contrary to how when left it, the door was open and the light was on. Standing in the doorway, Kara saw that her desk had been nearly upended and a purse she suspected of being Cat’s was lying on the floor, a cellphone and a can of pepper spray strewn around it.

She ran to the bullpen, looking automatically to Cat’s office and expecting to see the older woman behind the glass only to see it dark. Scanning the rest of the room, Kara's eyes fell on a body, lying in a pool of blood. She gasped, knowing from the lack of second heartbeat in the room that they were dead.

Taking a tentative step forward, she saw that it was her direct boss, Snapper. “Oh, Rao…”

“Kara.”

Looking past the body, Kara saw Cat sitting on the floor with her back against a desk, her clothes covered in blood. Her eyes were bloodshot and Kara could hear a slight wheeze in her breathing. A closer look with her enhanced vision showed the skin at Cat’s throat bright red with the outline of a pair of hands evident.

Cat got to her feet, visibly trembling. She wasn't very steady and Kara saw her legs buckle beneath her.

“Cat!” Kara surged forward, catching her before she could hit the ground. “What happened?” She asked, keeping her voice gentle.

“I caught him in your office.” Cat pulled out of her arms and sat heavily on the desk besides them. “He was after your research.”

“He attacked you,” Kara surmised.

She put a hand around her throat and massaged lightly. “When he realized that I knew the details of the article, yes.”

Anger burned beneath Kara's skin. So that was why he'd tried to sweep this topic under the rug. He was under orders to keep her quiet. He’d probably known that she was going to be attacked and planned to ransack her office accordingly. Instead, Cat had found him.

Kara clenched her fists at her side. Cat had nearly been killed because of her, again. Kara ground her teeth. Livewire, Siobhan, Snapper—even herself when she was under the influence of the red kryptonite—it seemed like she couldn't do anything but put Cat in danger.

Swallowing against the lump that had formed in her throat, Kara tried to apologize. “I'm so sorr—”

“Enough.” Cat's eyes flashed and Kara shut her mouth. “You didn't do this.

Kara didn't verbally contradict her but she shook her head. Walking away from Cat, she started to pace.

“Kara, stop,” Cat ordered. Kara stood still. “I didn't call you here so that you could beat yourself up. I called you because Snapper seemed pretty confident that someone would be trying to take you out while he was getting rid of your evidence.”

“Yeah, they tried.” Cat’s head snapped up and she scrutinized her but Kara shook her head. “I'm fine.”

“I assumed your attackers are in better shape than mine?”

“I left them unconscious in an alley.”

“Always the noble one.” Cat attempted a small smile but her lips trembled and it looked more like a grimace. “God, this will ruin me.”

“He tried to kill you,” Kara pointed out. “It was self-defense!”

“That won't matter to the tabloids, the board, or the stockholders. All they'll care about is that the CEO was involved in a sordid death on company property.”

Kara knew that what Cat said was true. By morning, her competitors will be running headlines with every cat pun in the book to proclaim far and wide that Cat Grant had been involved in a fatal attack. Normally, charges wouldn’t be brought against the victim of an attack but, with the mayor involved, Kara wasn’t sure how far his influence would reach. Would Cat find herself behind bars because of this?

Cat pushed away from the desk and moved towards the phone was lying on the floor. “I have to call the authorities.”

Kara took the phone out of Cat’s hands. “No.”

“Kara, I have to call. Too much time has passed already.” Cat closed her eyes, looking pained.

“No,” Kara repeated, a plan forming in her mind. She had to get Cat out of here, far enough away that it wouldn't be possible for her to have been involved. Then, she would have to figure out what to do with the body. “How far out is your beach house?”

Cat seemed surprised by the sudden question. “It's about thirty-five miles away but the traffic out there is terrible on the weekends—”

Kara mapped the route out in her head. “That will work.”

“What will work?” Cat's voice raised an octave. “Talk to me!”

“We have to get you out of here.” Kara took off to her office, needing to retrieve Cat's purse and cellphone.

“I can't just not report this!” Cat hissed, following her down the hall.

“Yes, you can.” Kara shoved the cellphone into Cat’s purse and took them back out to the bullpen.

“Kara, stop this nonsense. What you're talking about is ridiculous, not to mention _illegal_!”

“I'm not going to let this ruin your life!” Kara spun to face her. “Not for something that was my fault.”

“This was not your fault!” Cat shot back. “This comes with the job. Investigative journalists have to accept that. If someone’s not trying to kill you every once in a while then you’re not getting the best stories!”

“But I was the one investigating, not you!” Kara threw her hands up.

“Even if I do what you're suggesting, abandoning the crime scene won't do any good when people arrive tomorrow and see a dead body five feet from the elevator!”

“There won't be a body.”

“What?” Cat blinked up at her.

Kara sidestepped Cat and stepped up to the body, her stomach churning with the knowledge of what she was about to do. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled, focusing the stream of air the remains. Behind her, Kara heard Cat gasp as a layer of ice covered the immediate area.

Kara didn't stop until she was sure everything was frozen solid. She lifted the frames of her glasses and hit it with a quick shot of her heat vision. The body shattered and Cat stifled a scream. Now, instead of a body lying in the middle of the bullpen there were just nondescript chucks of ice in varying sizes. Kara felt sickened.

“Y-you just,” Cat stammered. “I—”

Kara didn't answer, afraid to look back and see Cat's face. Would there be anger? Disgust? Fear? She didn't think she could stand it of Cat looked at her like she did the time she'd thrown her off the balcony. Needing more time before she could face Cat’s response, Kara grabbed the nearest phone and picked up the phone.

“Who are you—?” Cat asked.

Kara dialed a pizza place she remembered Cat using a few times when she was out on the beach house with Carter.

“Numero Uno Pizza, what can we getcha?”

Kara cleared her throat. “This is Cat Grant’s personal assistant. I wanted to place an order for delivery to Ms. Grant’s beach house.”

Recognizing the name, the employee became more attentive. “Of course! What would she like tonight?”

“A house salad and a large pepperoni pizza.”

“What, are you peckish?” Cat asked pointedly, stepping up beside her.

Kara ignored her, finishing her order and rattling off Cat’s address and payment information. “How long can I tell her to expect you?”

“About thirty-five to forty-five minutes. Will there be anything else?” the pizza boy asked.

“No, that's it. Thank you.” She hung up the phone.

“Why did you—oh.” Cat sighed. “You're securing me an alibi.”

“We should go now, before you miss the delivery.” Kara headed for Cat’s office. “We can leave from the balcony.”

Cat glanced at the place where the body used to be. “I can't believe this is happening,” she whispered.

Kara glanced at the clock. “Cat, please.”

“Fine.” Cat finally moved, heading towards the office.

They reached the balcony, not bothering to close the door after them. Cat looked ready to protest again but, before she could get a word out, Kara wrapped Cat in her arms and lifted off from the ground, leaving CatCo behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the response to the first two chapters! Here's number three!

Flying was, by far, the worst way Cat had ever traveled. Kara moved at higher speeds than Cat was used to moving, turning her stomach. Kara’s arms around her waist, while pressed firmly against her back, didn’t do much to quell the fear that grew in her stomach as the city passed beneath them and she had to wrap her arms around Kara’s neck to anchor herself. The wind whipped against her face, stinging her skin and forcing Cat to tuck her face against Kara’s shoulder to avoid the cold air.

When Kara’s feet touched down on the patio of the beach house, Cat removed her arms from Kara’s neck and put some distance between them. Kara hovered nearby, her normal clothes and nervous expression a sharp contrast to the display of powers Cat had just witnessed the girl perform. On any other day, Kara being Supergirl would have been a revelation. Today it was just a drop in the ocean.

Cat tried the door. “It’s locked. I didn’t bring the keys.” Her throat burned as she spoke.

Kara wrenched the door handle off and slid the door open. “I’ll call you a repairman in the morning.”

“Thanks,” Cat snapped, bypassing her damaged property and entering the house.

Flicking on the light in the living room, Cat examined the room. There was a towel across the back of the couch, a cup on the side table, and a half-finished book on the coffee table. It was just as she’d left it a couple of weeks ago when she and Carter had had one last beach weekend before school started.

“You might want to shower before the pizza gets here,” Kara suggested from out on the patio. “I’ll be back for your clothes after I straighten up the office. I’ll need everything; even your shoes.”

Cat bristled for a moment at being told what to do until she got a look at herself in the reflection of the sliding glass door. Her hair was a tangled mess, matted in several places with blood. Her eyes were bloodshot, her makeup smudged. There were purple bruises blossoming under the skin of her neck, by morning, she’d be purple. Staring at her reflection reminded Cat of the feeling of Snapper’s hands around her throat and she shuddered.

“I’ll just put everything into a trash bag,” Cat said. Kara didn’t answer and when Cat turned back, Kara was gone.

Sighing, Cat slipped off her heels, carrying them in one hand as she went to the kitchen and took a trash bag from beneath the sink. She put the heels into the trash bag somewhat reluctantly—they were Jimmy Choos, after all. She slipped her coat off, not wanting to examine the darkened splotch of wool on the sleeve, and shoved it in after her shoes. Her skirt and blouse went in next, leaving her in only her matching lace bra and panties.

When those too were in the trash bag, Cat headed for the shower and turned the handles of the faucet, standing back while the water heated up. As was her habit, Cat examined herself in the mirror as she waited. Her appearance looked worse than in the distorted reflection of the sliding glass door. She could even spot a little blood on her face. Unable to wait any longer, Cat entered the shower.

The water was probably too hot, the pipes at the beach house were notorious for running hot, but while Cat would usually temper the heat by turning the cold water on to balance it out, tonight she felt numb as she stood beneath the spray. She watched as the water washed blood from her hair and hands, turning the water pink. Cat’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched the dirty water run down the drain. She felt dirty, contaminated by having Snapper’s blood on her.

Frantically grabbing the bottle of shampoo, Cat squeezed a dollop out and furiously rubbed it into her hair. She took the bar of soap next, rubbing it against every inch of her skin that she could reach to create a thick lather. She scrubbed as hard as she could stand, intent on removing every trace of the attack as possible.

Glancing at her hands, Cat could see that she’d broken a nail in the struggle and that the remainder of her manicure showed wearing from when she’d tried to scratch at Snapper’s face. She ran her fingernails under each other and in the crevices of her cuticles, producing, what Cat assumed, was blood and skin. She nearly gagged.

She rinsed the soap from her hair and skin and, dissatisfied with the result, repeated the ritual until there was nothing but suds in the water. Finally, the water falling around her turned cold and Cat couldn’t justify another round of shampoo. Turning the water off, Cat noticed that her fingers, while pruny, were now free of blood.

“Hello!”

Freezing with her hand on the faucet, Cat strained her ears, listening for an intruder.

“Hello! Pizza!”

Cat released the breath she was holding. It was only the pizza delivery boy. Cat’s relief turned sour as she remembered Kara’s instructions to be visible for the food delivery. Taking care not to slip, Cat got out of the shower and wrapped herself in a robe.

“I’m coming!” Cat grabbed a pair of flip flops that were on the floor and hastened to the door. “I’m here, I’m here!”

The delivery boy looked surprised to see her answering the door in a wet robe but quickly covered his surprise with a professional smile. “Good evening, Ms. Grant. Sorry about the delay in delivery.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. I was...occupied.” Cat tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Of course.” The boy handed her a pen and the receipt, stepping back to remove the pizza from the insulated bag as she signed the slip. “And, here’s your salad.” He put a paper bag on top of the pizza box.

Cat wrote in a reasonable tip and handed him back the receipt as he handed her the pizza. “Thank you.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Grant.” He thoughtfully did not look at the slip, putting it inside the delivery bag.

“Goodnight.”

Cat closed the door, listening as the pizza boy got into his car and backed out of her driveway. Alone again, she abandoned the food on the table—she couldn’t even fathom eating at the moment. She shuffled into the living room, dropping heavily into her favorite armchair.

She felt exhausted. Whether from the attack or the weight of the knowledge that, at that precise moment, Kara was committing multiple felonies to keep her out of trouble she wasn't sure. As if on cue, a light knocking at the patio door pulled Cat's attention.

Kara stood out on the patio, her cape flapping slightly in the wind. Cat found it slightly ironic that Kara dressed down in a cardigan had no problem ripping off a piece of her door but Kara in her Supergirl suit felt it necessary to knock and obtain permission to enter.

Cat waved her in. “You’re in the suit.”

Kara looked down. “I had to get rid of the clothes I was wearing, too.”

Cat nodded. “Mine are in the bathroom. I can go—”

“No, I can get them.” In the blink of an eye, she was back and holding the bag.

Cat stifled a gasp at the casual use of superpowers. Needing something to calm her returning nerves, Cat went to her wet bar and poured herself a generous amount of scotch. “Warn a girl, next time.”

“I'm sorry,” Kara said, looking down at the floor. “I just thought it'd be faster.”

“It was faster,” Cat muttered, sipping on her drink. It burned horribly and nearly brought tears to her eyes. “What with the super strength, ice breath, and death lasers…”

Kara frowned. “Do I—do I scare you?”

Cat scowled. “No—yes.” Kara looked absolutely wounded and Cat recanted. “No,” she said firmly. “I'm just a little perturbed that you could dispose of a human body so easily.” She raised the glass of scotch to her lips.

Kara bristled at the word ‘human’. “Nothing about this is easy!” Cat spun to face her, surprised when Kara raised her voice. “What I did tonight...it made me sick.” Fire burned behind Kara's eyes and Cat could tell that she was telling the truth. “I betrayed practically everything I stand for—”

“Then why did you do it?” Cat demanded, angry. She would forever see Supergirl differently after tonight's events, unable to separate what Kara had done from the idealism of the cape. Her image of the hero had been tainted permanently and she couldn't help blaming Kara for that.

“I did it for you! To keep you safe from my mistakes.” Kara shook her head and Cat saw tears swimming in her eyes. “From the danger I keep putting you in again and again.”

That was when Cat realized that Kara blamed herself not only for tonight's attack, but for every time Supergirl had needed to come to her rescue. Was it guilt that compelled Kara to intervene in such a way? Or was it something else? Perhaps it was some misplaced loyalty since Supergirl and CatCo were so closely linked. Cat wasn't sure she felt comfortable being someone that Kara felt she was obligated to protect.

“You're an idiot. My life is not your responsibility. I've been in the crosshairs of mob bosses, super villains, and corrupt politicians long before you put on that cape.”

“I know but that doesn't mean I want to stand around while there’s someone I—” Kara stopped herself. “While there's something I can do to help.”

That explained it—the girl had been driven by her ridiculously rigid sense of duty. Cat decided to change the subject. “So what are you going to do now, pay the mayor a visit?”

Kara shook her head. “No. I didn't have enough evidence to prove anything from my article and I can't just visit him as Supergirl without a good reason. Plus, I've sacrificed too much of myself for one night, I'm not going to give up believing that journalism works, too.”

“So what are we going to do now?”

“Try and go back to how things were before?”

“I don't think that will be possible.” Kara nodded solemnly. “I don't think I'll be going into work for a few days. Sore throat, of course.” She gingerly touched her neck.

Kara nodded in understanding. “I heard there was a bad cold going around.”

“Close up on the way out, will you?” Cat finished her drink, leaving the empty glass on the counter.

She didn't wait for Kara's response, leaving the hero in the living room as she made her way to bed. Cat turned on the bedside table lamp, getting under the covers. She made a split decision not to turn out the small lamp, lying instead with her back towards the light.

Cat's attempts at listening for sounds of Kara leaving faded quickly into futile attempts to sleep. She tossed and turned all night, replaying the night in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to relax enough to fall asleep. By the time the sun was rising outside her bedroom window, Cat wasn’t sure she'd ever sleep again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late. I ran out of time to post last night.

Kara adjusted her glasses as she stood in the back of the office, keeping her head down as the meeting continued around her. The heads of all the major departments were in attendance for the weekly content meeting with Nick Farrow standing in as the Tribune’s temporary editor-in-chief. The only reason that Kara was here was that Nick had asked her to come along to make up for the fact that he was mostly in the dark on how to deal with Cat. 

Kara had tried to turn him down, claiming deadlines and follow up calls, but he had pulled rank on her, and dragged her along. So now Kara was at the end of her three week record of being within five feet of Cat Grant. It wasn't as if she was doing it alone—Cat had been avoiding her, too. After all, Cat's return to work hadn’t exactly been easy.

The story had been that Cat had come down with the nasty cold that was going around the office. All of the epmployees had been rightfully on edge while she was gone, obviously remembering that the last time Cat had been sick she’d fired half of the bullpen for contaminating her office. Her new assistant, Amber, had even been concerned that she was going to be fired since she’d come to work with the sniffles juse the week before. In all the uproar over Cat’s health, no one had even cared that there had been a small fire in the company’s mainframe that had wiped the security footage for the last month.

When Cat had finally ‘recovered’, she’d returned to work with her voice still rough, easily explained as the aftermath of a sore throat. She'd also taken to wearing various Hermes scarves that Kara knew were covering whatever bruising had been left by the attack. It had obviously gotten better in the ten days since Cat had returned; only Kara could tell that the older woman was still covering up the yellowing bruising around her neck with makeup.

Kara had been relieved when Cat had waved a hand, cutting off her head of sports, dismissing them all. Cat hadn’t made eye contact with her the entire tice. Kara was the first one to duck out of the room, intent on making back to her office without engaging in the friendly banter she could hear from the others behind her.

She walked past the elevator and had nearly made it to her office when Winn came jogging up beside her.

“Hey, Kara.”

Kara forced herself to smile. “Hey, Winn.”

“You okay? You’ve, uh, been kind of distant lately.” He shifted awkwardly from one foot to another.

Kara sighed. “Sorry, Winn. I’ve just been busy.”

She hadn't purposely been trying to avoid her friends. It was just that she had been spending more time to herself in her effort to give Cat space and come to terms with what had happened. The result had been that she'd begun turning down Winn and James’ invitations for lunch and suggestions for game night. She simply hadn't been in the mood to pretend that everything was alright or else be forced to explain what had happened. She couldn't burden either one of them like that. 

“No, I get it.” He shrugged. “I’ve heard that everyone at the Tribune has been picking up the slack from when Snapper disappeared."

“Uh, yeah,” she said reluctantly.

"Hey, did you hear the police think Snapper was abducted or even killed?”

Kara's chest tightened painfully. The editor-in-chief’s disappearance seemed to be the only thing their coworkers wanted to discuss—she couldn’t get away from the subject. Not that she could blame them, the circumstances were suspicious, and her coworkers where more likely to come up with their own theories after CatCo's own Human Resources department had reported him missing.

“I guess there’s no sign at his place that he packed up and left anywhere and there’s been no activity with his bank accounts,” Winn recounted. “They asked for all the security footage from the last time he was here but that was when that fire happened and wiped everything out. Do you think I should try and recover the data? If I use some of the programs I got from the DEO, I might be able to put some of it back together!”

“No!” Kara nearly shouted. A few heads turned her way before going back to their computers.

“Why not?” Winn looked taken aback.

“Winn, it just isn’t a good idea.” She hurried to make up an excuse. “When they ask you about how you did it, how are you going to explain having computer tech from a secret government agency?”

He looked thoughtful. “You’re right.”

“I better get back to work." She wanted nothing more at the moment than to escape. 

“Sure.” He turned to leave then stopped. “But…do you think we can get together this weekend? It’s been a while and I could use a night to pig out on junk and watch more X-files.”

Kara felt guilt know at her. “Sure. Friday?”

“Perfect.” He released the breath he’d been holding, relieved. “I see you later?”

“Definitely.”

Kara watched as Winn went back to his desk. He was a good friend, she’d have to find a way to make it up to him for her recent behavior. Maybe she’d make him a pie, he’d really loved the chocolate pecan pie she’d given him back at Thanksgiving. Looking forward to something for the first time in days, Kara headed back for her office.

She closed her office door behind her, dropping into her chair. She had a mountain of research that she had been neglecting. Unlike Snapper, Nick Farrow had no problem letting her have access to in-progress projects. The knowledge that the untimely death of her previous boss had benefitted her bothered Kara; it was why she had put the work off for so long.

Instead of starting, Kara checked her email. There was an email from the ice cream parlor by her apartment offering her ten percent off her next purchase, an email from Carter's school reminding parents of Back-to-school Night—she’d have to contact the school and give them Cat’s new assistant’s email—and a new email from Cat herself.

Straightening up in her chair, Kara moved the mouse to hover over the link. Cat hadn’t sent her anything personally in quite a while, now a days Cat’s correspondence came through Amber. Figuring she might as well see what Cat needed, Kara clicked on the message.

_I need to speak with you when you have a free moment — Cat_

Kara sat back. They hadn’t spoken in seventeen days despite Cat being back for at least twelve. Whatever Cat had to say, Kara doubted she was going to like it.

* * *

“You wanted to see me, Ms. Grant?” Cat glanced up and saw Kara standing almost exactly as she’d been during the morning meeting—as close to the office door as possible, posture tense—she looked ready to flee at any moment.

Cat found herself irked that Kara had regressed to using her last name. “I did, _Kiera_.”

Kara sighed. “Sorry, Cat. I just thought—”

Cat shook her head. “No, don’t apologize. I guess I just thought we were past that.” Kara didn’t answer so Cat continued. "We haven’t gotten a chance to talk since...you know.” Cat flapped her hand towards the bullpen.

“I wasn’t sure you wanted to see me. I figured you wanted space.”

“Maybe you should have asked instead of hiding out in your office.” Cat cocked an eyebrow at the assumption.

Kara hung her head. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have assumed.” She paused. “So, you’re okay?”

Cat checked to make sure no one was looking in. “Maybe we should take this out to the balcony.”

“Oh, sure.”

Standing, Cat led the way, expecting Kara to follow. She stopped just short of the railing, waiting until Kara had made herself comfortable by leaning against the railing.

When she was sure that they were out of earshot, Cat continued. “I wasn’t okay for a while. I wasn’t sleeping and I could barely eat anything. Carter noticed. He didn’t know what was wrong or if it was his fault and he started to withdraw in response.” Cat blinked back tears as she remembered how she felt when Carter had asked her if she was upset because of something he did. “That’s when I realized that if I let this affect my son...well, then all this would be for nothing.”

Kara nodded but didn't comment. It wasn't hard to see that Cat's words were hurting her. This was the reason she had called Kara for this little chat—Kara was withdrawing. That was something she couldn't allow.

“Yes, well," Cat continued. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I can ask...are you okay?”

“What?” Kara blinked in confusion.

Cat tried very hard to resist rolling her eyes. “In all the time you’ve been avoiding me, I’ve been keeping an eye on you. You haven’t been seeing your friends lately; the IT hobbit has been pouting. I also haven’t seen as many Supergirl sighting as normal, either.”

“I’ve still been out there. I just haven’t been sticking around…”

“You’ve been punishing yourself.” Cat could see it. For someone as social as Kara, isolating herself from her friends, family, or people who would build her up was the worst thing the girl could do. It was the same thing she’d done when the city had turned on her. “If you remember correctly, hiding didn’t do you one bit of good the last time something happened.”

Kara titled her head back and blinked up at the sky. Cat couldn't help but notice that Kara's eyes looked wet behind her heavy frames. “I know.”

Cat pointedly kept her eyes on the city's skyline. “See that it doesn't continue.”

“Of course.” Kara took a deep breath as if to steady herself.

“Good, now—” Cat stopped when there was a light knocking on the glass. Turning, she saw her assistant waiting for her. “What is it?”

Amber pushed the glass door open. “Ms. Grant, there's a Detective Renee Montoya here to see you. She's here in connection with Snapper Carr’s disappearance.”

Cat’s mouth went dry. It's not like she hadn't expected this; it was the HR department that had filed the missing person's report after the three day wait period had passed. “Of course, tell her I'll just be a minute.”

Amber left and Cat turned back to Kara. The girl’s jaw was set in a hard line, eyes unfocused. “You should get back to your office. I'm sure it will just be some routine questions.”

Kara nodded mechanically. “Right.”

Kara left her office and Cat watched nervously as she passed right next to the detective that was waiting patiently beside her assistant. Renee Montoya was young, possibly only in her mid to late twenties. Her dark hair was pulled back into a professional bun, and her navy pantsuit was freshly pressed. Detective Montoya didn’t give Kara more than a passing glance, putting Cat a bit at ease. She settled herself back behind her desk and waved her in, hoping that this wouldn’t take long.

“Ms. Grant, thank you for seeing me.” She spoke with a slight spanish accent.

“Of course. What can I do for you detective?” Cat stood, offering her hand.

Detective Montoya grasped her hand firmly. “I was wondering if I could question a few of your employees regarding Lucas Carr. I’m trying to get a better timeline of his movements before he disappeared.”

Cat nodded and retook her seat. “The Tribune offices are three floors down from here. See Nick Farrow, he’s filling in temporarily for Snapper—he’ll arrange everything for you.”

“Temporary? So you haven’t given up hope that Mr. Carr will return, then?” Her tone was polite, bordering on pleasant, but there was a disbelieving smirk fighting to work its way onto her face.

“Well, you never know, right?” Cat said, suddenly wary.

Sensing her reservation, the detective ducked her head. “No, you’re right. I guess I’m just so used to these cases not turning out well." Something about how she said this gave Cat the feeling that the detective already knew that Snapper was dead. "It happens when you spend your first couple of years as a detective in Gotham.”

“Of course.” Cat swallowed reflexively. “Now, if that’s all?”

“You’re right. I better get to it.” Her mouth twisted into a polite smile but Cat could see her eyes flash with a shrewdness that made Cat uneasy. She made it to the door before turning around. “Oh! Just for the record—when was the last time you saw Mr. Carr?”

Cat pretended to think about that. “There was a staff meeting about a week before he disappeared. That was the last time I saw him.”

Montoya nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Grant.”

Cat watched as the detective in charge of the investigation got into the elevator. While she appeared to be an open and trustworthy person, Cat could sense a shrewdness that was hidden beneath the surface. It was a quality that had likely served her well while she was working the seedy streets of Gotham but would make Renee Montoya extremely dangerous.


	5. Chapter 5

Time was passing painfully slow while Kara waited for Detective Montoya to come to her office. She’d heard the name enough times as the woman had introduced herself to anyone she questioned—Kara had been keeping an ear out—and she’d only heard the detective asking her coworkers innocuous questions so far. When was the last time you saw Mr. Carr? Did he have any enemies? What stories was he working on before he disappeared? Did he ever mention travelling anywhere?

Most people’s answers lined up. He was last seen in his office before they left for the weekend. He had multiple enemies—mostly people who were in articles that he wrote. He didn’t write so much nowadays, mainly editing and running the paper. His job was his life, he never took vacation time, he hardly even took sick time. Kara tuned out after hearing the same answers fifteen times.

Around three in the afternoon, Kara had shifted her attention to an article that was quickly approaching its deadline. Her enhanced hearing eventually heard someone approaching her office followed by a quick knock on her door.

“Come in!”

The door opened and Detective Montoya entered. “Ms. Danvers, I’m Detective Renee Montoya. I’m, here to ask you a few questions. Your coworkers pointed me in the direction of your office.” She flashed Kara a badge.

“Uh, sure. Please, have a seat.” Kara gestured to one of the two chairs in front of her desk.

“This is a nice office for a junior staff member. How’d you land this?” Montoya asked conversationally as she made herself comfortable.

“I was Cat Grant’s personal assistant for over two years,” Kara explained. “When she promoted me, she gave me the office.” Kara couldn’t help the color that flooded her cheeks as she said it. It was still incredible to her that Cat would have arranged all of this for her.

The detective nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. “You were the one in Ms. Grant’s office when I arrived this morning, correct?”

“Yes.” She decided to change the subject. “You said you had a few questions?”

Montoya’s lips twitched slightly before breaking out into a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “When was the last time you saw Mr. Carr?” She pulled out a notebook and a pen.

“Almost three weeks ago now,” Kara answered. “We had a staff meeting at the end of the day.” She was only stretching the truth slightly. That had been, after all, the last time she’d seen him _alive_.

Montoya flipped to a page in her notebook. “That was at four-thirty in the afternoon, correct?”

“About then, yes.” Kara nodded.

“What did you do after that?”

“After that?” Kara’s eyebrows rose towards her hairline. Montoya nodded. “I came back here to my office to continue working.” Kara watched as she made a note.

“What time did you leave the office that night?”

“A little after ten,” she said truthfully. Kara felt a piece of hair on the side of her face and brushed it behind her ear.

“That’s a little late, isn’t it?” The detective’s nose wrinkled, her head tilted slightly as if considering Kara’s statement.

“I was doing some research for an upcoming article.”

“A few of your coworkers told me that you had been a part of an argument with Mr. Carr during that meeting.”

Kara blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the new line of questioning. Seeing her surprise, Montoya readied her pen. Whatever she said now would probably be recorded. “I wouldn’t call it an argument.”

“What would you call it?” The detective asked. From her tone, they could have been discussing the weather but Kara could see that her eyes had turned calculating.

“He shot my pitch down until I had more of a solid lead.” She didn’t add that Snapper had shot it down because the corrupt city mayor was leaning on the Tribune to keep the city’s money problems out of the media.

“A few people have said that was a common occurrence. I’ve heard that Mr. Carr regularly belittled you in front of your coworkers.”

Kara glanced down to her desk, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. “Well, not everyone gets along with their boss, right?” She gave the detective a small smile.

Montoya didn’t return her smile. “Are you sure that it wasn’t anything more than that?”

“What are you getting at?” Kara’s eyes narrowed.

“There’s some blood here on your desk.” She pointed to a spot on the front of Kara’s desk.

“What?” Kara asked, thrown off. She stood and walked around to the front of her desk.

It was a small spot, barely bigger than a speck, and the dark color told her that it had been there for a while. Straightening up, Kara felt anxiety wash over her. As Kara didn’t bleed without an injury from some superpowered villain or piece of kryptonite and no one besides herself had been in her office for weeks, she knew that the blood belonged to only one of two people.

“I must have cut myself,” she said mechanically. “I’m pretty clumsy.”

Montoya smiled knowingly. “I think we should continue this discussion down at the station.”

“Is that really necessary?”

The detective stood, standing toe to toe with her. “Are you going to come willingly or are you going to make me use my handcuffs?”

Kara’s heartbeat was thundering in her own ears and she fought to keep her breathing even. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

“Great.” The detective opened the door. “After you.”

Grabbing her purse and phone, Kara stalked out of her office with Renee Montoya on her heels. The detective followed closely behind her, probably to make sure she didn’t run. They walked silently to the elevator. Kara pressed the down button and stood back, crossing her arms over her chest. Detective Montoya stood beside her with her hands on her hips.

The bullpen was full of its usual hustle and bustle. Kara was thankful that no one seemed to notice her leaving; it would only cause more gossip. Looking up, she watched the numbers above the elevator counting up. It was on the sixteenth floor, the seventeenth floor, eighteenth floor—

“Hey, Kara!” Kara winced when she saw Winn jogging up to them just as the elevator was arriving.

“Winn.” She sighed.

“Ms. Danvers,” Montoya said warningly.

“I just need a minute,” Kara told her. The detective scowled but didn’t protest as Kara stepped away.

Seeing the exchange, Winn’s eyes widened. “Kara, what’s going on?”

“They need to talk to me down at the police station.” Kara made sure to keep her voice lowered.

“W-wha?” Winn gasped, his mouth falling open.

“Ms. Danvers,” Montoya called, putting an arm out to stop the elevator door from closing. “We need to go.”

Kara ignored her. “Winn, I need you to go to my apartment and take my supersuit back to your place.” She was practically whispering as she shoved her keys into his hands.

“You want me to—?” Winn’s eyebrows shot upwards. “Kara, what’s going on?”

“Ms. Danvers, now!” Montoya started forward and wrapped a hand around her upper arm, intending to pull her onto the elevator. Kara felt her tug but she didn’t bother faking a reaction. The detective goggled at her.

“Just do it, okay?” Kara said, shaking off Montoya’s hand.

Without another word, Kara turned and got onto the elevator. Montoya followed her in, throwing wary glances her way. The last thing Kara saw before the door closed was Winn spinning around and practically sprinting away.

* * *

Cat never fretted—it was unbecoming—but she was getting very close to it now. She’d had her assistant keep track of Detective Montoya’s whereabouts throughout the day, justifying her request by telling Amber that she just wanted to make sure that the detective wasn’t ruining the Tribune’s productivity.

Amber had kept her apprised of Montoya’s movements nearly to the minute, truly a testament to her new assistant’s attention to detail. It was for this reason that Cat was now wracked with anxiety. Because Amber had sent her an instant message that Detective Montoya had been seen leaving CatCo. With Kara.

Her worrying was interrupted when she saw Winn Schott running frantically to his desk, carrying a laptop bag and logging off of his computer. He was obviously in a hurry to leave the office. Cat had a feeling that, whatever he was about to go do, it had to do with Kara.

Cat crossed to her office door. “Witt! I need you in my office.” He skidded to a stop and his head snapped towards her with a look of terror.

“Ms. Grant? I, uh, I’m sorry but I need to leave a little early today, I have an emergen—”

“Now!” She fixed him with a steely glare. His shoulders falling, Winn entered the office. Cat closed the door after him and he stood in the middle of the room, wringing his hands. “Would your leaving have anything to do with the fact that Kara was taken to the police station?”

Winn gaped at her. “How did you—?”

“Does it matter how I know? Now, answer the question!”

“Right. Kara asked me to go to her apartment to get her a-a,” Winn stammered.

Cat took his hesitancy to mean that Kara wanted him to remove something from her apartment that would either connect her to Snapper or connect her to Supergirl. “To get her what?”

“A, uh, change of clothes?” He said it like a question.

Supersuit it was, then. “Did she say why they needed her?”

“Uh, no. She just said that she had to go down to the police station and answer a few questions.”

Cat held her bottom lip between her teeth. If Kara was concerned that they may search her apartment, then there was a good chance that the detective had discovered something. “Fine, you can go.” Winn let out a relieved breath. “But if you hear anything from her, you must inform me immediately. Do you understand?”

“But—”

“Mr. Schott, I have no problem finding another IT technician or clearing out that little hidey-hole you’ve set up in that unclaimed office!”

Winn gulped. “I will!”

“Good. Now, go.” He scurried out of her office.

Cat went to the bar and poured herself a drink. She downed the first drink in one gulp, letting the alcohol burn the feeling back into her. It seemed like she was being punished for trying to put this all behind her. She poured herself a generous measure for the second drink, putting the stopper back on top of the decanter.

Amber knocked against the window as she poked her head in. “Ms. Grant. There are two officers down at security who are demanding access.” She shifted awkwardly. “Apparently, they want to collect some samples.”

“Did they say from where?”

Amber frowned. “Ms. Danvers office.”

Cat took another sip from her glass before abandoning it on the counter. “Have security hold them there.”

“Ms. Grant?”

“I’ll speak with them downstairs.” Cat watched as Amber made a break for the elevator.

She stalked from the office, heading to her private elevator—she’d make it down before her assistant, anyways. When the doors opened, Cat spotted a uniformed officer standing beside a pallid man with a heavy case. The echoing sound of her heels clicking against the floor alerted the newcomers to her presence.

Straightening up, the officer intercepted her. “Ma’am, I’m here to escort our CSI here to collect a few samples—”

Cat cut him off. “Do you have a warrant?”

“Detective Montoya spotted blood in Ms. Danver’s office while she was questioning her.” Cat struggled to keep herself from reacting. She’d broken Snapper’s nose in Kara’s office. That was what caused this. “So we have probable cau—”

“That only applies when the officer seizes the plain view evidence while lawfully present.” She was well aware of how probable cause worked.

The officer looked taken aback by her grasp on the subject. “The detective told us that you'd previously agreed to—”

“Agreed to allow the detective disrupt my business by questioning my employees. The detective then left the premises, forfeiting the right to collect anything she may have seen.”

“Yes, but—” His face reddened.

“No, ‘but’s.” Cat waved away his protests. “I do not give you permission to enter the premises. You want to search for or seize any evidence? Bring me a warrant.”

“I can be back here within an hour with a warrant.” A muscle in the officer’s cheek twitched as he struggled to contain his temper. “Wouldn’t there be less of a disruption to simply allow—”

“Warrant or nothing. Go.” Cat pointed towards the door.

Trembling with the effort to contain his rage, the officer stormed off, the CSI following frantically behind him.

“Was that exactly necessary, Ms. Grant?” Amber stepped forward. Cat had hardly noticed the woman hovering behind her. "Won't they just be angry when they return?"

“Perhaps, but I'll be damned if I let them walk all over my civil liberties."

“It's nearing the end of the day, would you like me to wait so that I can escort them when they return?”

“No, I’ll do it.” Cat headed for her elevator. “Put a call in to my lawyer.”

“That's Ms. Spencer, correct?”

Cat nodded. “Tell her drop everything and meet me here ASAP. I don't care what it costs.”

“Of course, Ms. Grant.” Amber pulled her phone from her pocket.

Cat paused, holding the elevator door open with one hand. “And, Amber?”

Amber’s eyes widened at Cat's use of her proper name. “Yes?”

“If I hear anyone speculating anything about Kara they’ll be out on their ass so fast that their heads will spin. Are we clear?” Cat her with her deadliest glare.

Amber nodded and scurried away. Cat wasn't particularly worried about Amber talking—she was a find of Kara's, after all—but Cat still felt responsible for minimizing the possible professional backlash that Kara would face. It was the least she could do.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did everyone see Snapper's introduction? "Corruption in the mayor's office"?? Did I call it or what??! haha

“So let’s just go over what happened one more time.” Kara resisted the urge to lay her head down on the metal table but couldn’t contain the small sigh that escaped her lips.

Renee Montoya didn’t look amused. “Am I boring you, Ms. Danvers?”

“Of course not,” Kara said, straightening up in her chair. “I’m just not sure what it is you want me to say since I’ve been telling you the same thing for the last two hours.” She couldn’t help her voice rising slightly at the end.

“We’ll continue until I’m satisfied that I have all the facts.” Renee looked at her notes. “So, you left the office about twenty minutes after ten?”

“Yes.”

“And you grabbed take-out on your way to your apartment from the Chinese food restaurant on Third Avenue?”

“Yes.” Kara tapped her finger rhythmically against the table, reminding herself not to do it hard enough to dent the metal.

“And then you stayed in for the remainder of the evening, not talking to any of your neighbors.”

“Yes,” Kara snapped. Montoya raised an eyebrow at her tone but Kara couldn’t help it—they’d been at this for a while.

At first, an officer had led her into the room and told her that the detective would be with her ‘shortly’. Except that Renee Montoya’s definition of the word was obviously different than other human’s definitions because Kara had spent nearly an hour and a half pacing around the interrogation room, unwilling to sit and stare at the bland paint job. She’d tried to keep an ear out for any sign of an approach but after the third round of an officer singing ‘Lime in da coconut’ somewhere in the building, she’d tuned out.

Now, she’d gladly listen to that off-tune officer singing on repeat for ten hours rather than answer the same question again. And again. And _again_.

There was a swift knock on the door and someone peeked inside. “Detective, a moment please?”

Renee smirked at Kara. “I’ll be right back.” She pushed back from the desk and went to the door. “What have you found?”

The other person was standing outside the door and speaking in low tones. Not wanting to miss anything, Kara listened in. “—photos show a large pool of it in the bullpen. Analytics suggest that a person couldn’t lose that amount and still live.”

“Do we know who the samples are from yet?” Kara heard Renee ask.

“We won’t know that for another few hours but they seem to be from the same person.” Kara let out a breath of relief—so Cat hadn’t been injured in the fight.

“So there’s nothing tying her to the scene?” Renee sounded irritated.

“That place is clean as a whistle. We couldn’t even find existing prints or hairs.”

“Yeah, _that’s_ not suspicious,” Renee scoffed. Kara scowled. It wasn’t her fault that her skin didn’t give off any oil or that she didn’t sweat under normal circumstances. There was a deep sigh. “Fine, keep digging.”

“What are you going to do about her?”

“I can hold her for twenty more hours before I have to charge her.” Kara rolled her eyes. Great.

“You think she’s did it?” The other person asked.

“There’s something about her…I don’t read killer but I do think she could take care of herself if threatened. I think whatever happened, she covered it up. I’m not stopping until I know why.”

“You know, the mayor’s office called again and they want this wrapped up as quickly as possible.”

Kara straightened in her chair at the mention of the mayor. She knew he hadn’t given up on silencing her. Was the detective in on it? Kara x-rayed the door to get a look of Renee Montoya.

“I know, apparently Carr was a personal friend or something.” She pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. “I don’t know what he expects me to do! There’s no body, no murder weapon…I mean, I expected to get the search warrant for the office at CatCo but the DA is already preparing warrants for her apartment and phone records. Does that seem weird to you?”

“You’re just thinking about this too much, Renee. This isn’t Gotham.” The other officer shrugged and left her alone in the hallway.

Kara sighed. It looked as if the mayor was using his connections to put pressure on the investigation. She hoped Winn had made it to remove her supersuit in time. Kara was forced to put those thoughts aside as the detective returned, closing the door behind her.

Kara noted that she looked distinctly less self-assured than she had before; maybe that meant she wasn’t in on the mayor’s plans.

“Sorry about that.” Renee returned to her seat, a manila folder in her hands. “I was just getting an update about what they’d found back at CatCo.” She tossed down a couple of photos. “Go on, take a look.”

Kara carefully pulled the crime scene photos closer. The first few were of her office, a harsh light highlighting several spots of blood. She thumbed through to the photo of the bullpen. There was an orange card with an evidence number to one side for scale, the blood stained on the flooring blue with the application of a black light and luminol.

Kara’s skin crawled as she remembered what Snapper’s body had looked like in that very spot, his life drained out of him. She pushed the photos away.

When it was clear Kara wasn’t going to comment, Renee broke the silence. “You know what I think?”

“No.” _But I can guess_ , Kara thought.

“I think you meant to go home but you returned back to your office for some reason.” Renee shrugged. “Maybe you left something there, maybe you got a call—” Kara clenched her fists beneath the desk. “Mr. Carr was there, you argued, you fought. Somehow, he ended up bleeding on that floor.” She paused to let her words sink in and Kara tried to keep her face impassive. “The techs tell me that there’s no way he survives losing that much blood.”

“Interesting theory.” She shifted in her chair. The detective didn’t know how right she was.

She noticed Kara’s growing discomfort and leaned forward, her voice softening. “Ms. Danvers, if Mr. Carr tried to hurt you…if this was an accident…you need to tell me. I can help you, Kara. I can speak to the DA, they understand cases like these. You just need to tell me what happened.”

Kara wet her lips with her tongue. Detective Montoya knew what she was doing, clearly—the story, the sympathy, the offer for help—it was all very well done. But Kara wasn’t sitting in this chair because she was trying to protect herself. She’d made her decision weeks ago when Cat had called her. She wasn’t backing down now.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

Renee leaned back in her chair, disappointed that Kara hadn’t taken the bait. “Well, the interesting part is what happened after that, right? Because, there’s no way that you covered it up alone. So tell me, who helped you?”

Kara locked her fingers together and placed her hands on top of the table, refusing to answer.

“Was it that kid I saw come up to you as we left?” Renee continued. “What was his name?” She snapped her fingers like she was just remembering. “Winn Schott. Son of Toyman, right? Maybe his dad taught him a thing or two about how to get rid of a body. He would certainly know how to get rid of the security footage.”

Kara could feel the muscle in her jaw working as she ground her teeth. She didn’t want Winn to get caught up in this. It was time to get some help. “I want my phone call.”

Renee sighed. “There's a phone at my desk. Let’s go.”

Kara pushed away from the table and followed the detective out of the room. They returned to an open room where twelve desks were arranged in two rows. Various detectives typed away at computers, phones rang over and over, a tv in the corner was turned to a new station, the volume low. Renee grabbed the receiver off of the desk phone. Kara heard a dial tone and Renee dialed the code for outside calls before placing the device into Kara's outstretched hand.

“Make it quick,” Renee said as Kara started dialing.

“Detective Montoya, a word?” Kara glanced over and saw a grizzled older man tap her on the shoulder.

Renee nodded. “Sure, chief.” She tapped her neighbor. “Hey, keep an eye on her. One phone call, five minutes.”

The other detective nodded. “You got it.” He walked around the desk and sat within arm's reach.

Renee shot Kara a warning glance as she stepped away with her superior. Knowing that she'd have precious moments without the detective listening, Kara dialed her sister.

The call rang twice before her sister picked up. “Hello?”

Kara felt relief blossom in her stomach at the sound of her sister's voice. “Alex?”

“Hey, Kara, what’s up?” Her sister sounded relaxed. It wasn’t that late in the night, Alex had probably just gotten home from work.

“I need you not to freak out,” Kara said carefully.

“That’s never a good way to start a conversation.” Kara heard something glass being set down on the other line—probably Alex's drink.

“I’m at the NCPD—”

“Why are you calling from the police department?”

Kara took a deep breath. “They brought me in for questioning about Snapper’s disappearance.”

“Wait, your boss has been missing? For how long?” Alex’s voice rose slightly.

“Almost three weeks,” Kara admitted.

“Why didn’t you mention anything?”

“We've been busy—with Kal’s visit, the Luthor’s, and Cadmus in the mix.” The words sounded weak to her ears. Her sister would never buy that.

“Don’t give me that, Kara.” Yup, there it was. “You know that I respect the fact that your personal life is important. You know I always have time for you,” Alex reminded her.

“Yeah, I know.” Kara hung her head.

Alex sighed. “So, what? They think he's been murdered?”

“Yeah.”

“They think you know something?” Alex pressed.

“They think I did it.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Alex chuckled. Kara didn’t answer and Alex's laughter stopped. “Oh my god, Kara. What happened?”

“It’s not what you think. It’s a long story.”

“Tell me.” Alex demanded.

Kara glanced at the officer that was nearby. “I'm not exactly alone here.”

“I DON’T CARE IF IT'S AGAINST PROTOCOL! I’M GOING!” A familiar voice shouted nearby.

“Er, stay here,” the officer next to her said, going to see what the ruckus was.

“Kara, what was that?” Alex asked, concerned.

“I think that was Cat.” Kara turned towards the sound of the voice. Kara inconspicuously looked through the wall. There she was, staring down another cop with her hands on her hips, one heel tapping against the linoleum. “It is!”

“ _Cat Grant_?” Alex asked. “Oh, Kara...” Just leave it to her sister had just put the pieces together.

Now alone, Kara kept it brief; political corruption, Snapper’s involvement, the attack on Cat, and what she’d heard from her eavesdropping. She was fighting back tears by the end, the confession to her big sister more draining than she’d thought possible.

“So what do they have?” Alex asked with a sigh. Kara could just picture how her sister would look—hair falling forward to cover her face as she sat on her couch with her head bowed, the hand that wasn't holding her phone probably clenched painfully.

When Kara spoke again there was a slight quiver in her voice. “The detective that brought me in, Renee Montoya, she found some blood in my office. She’s working on matching the blood to Snapper and getting a warrant to search my apartment and get a hold of my phone records.”

“Your suit?” Alex asked.

“Winn,” Kara whispered.

Alex let out a relieved sigh. “Okay, what do you need?”

“They haven't charged me yet but, if they book me—”

“Don’t worry about that,” Alex assured her. “I can have the records purged from here and your phone, too.”

“Okay, I don't think I have much time left—”

There was more commotion and Kara saw everyone looking for the cause. A door swung open and Renee Montoya hurried out of a nearby office.

“Alex, I've gotta go.” She hung up the phone.

“What is going on?” Detective Montoya hurried out and stopped besides the desk.

“No idea.” Kara shrugged, hanging up the phone. 

“Okay, Ms. Danvers,” Renee sighed. “We need to get you booked—”

“Actually, you'll need to give me some time with my client before we go any further.” A brunette woman in a stylish grey suit swept into the room. “We’ll need to assess whether or not we’ll be filing charges against this precinct when we leave.”

Renee Montoya scowled. “Who are you?”

“Kate Spencer,” she introduced herself. “I'm Ms. Danvers attorney.”

Kara's eyes widened. “You are?”

Cat strode into the room. “Yes, she is.”

“Ms. Grant!” Kara pretended to be surprised to see her. “What are you doing here?” The question was genuine—she had no idea why Cat was here.

Cat looked Kara up and down. “I see you're still in one piece.” Kara swore she saw a hint of a relieved smile on her face. “Kara this is Kate. Kate, Kara.”

Kate offered Kara her hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Danvers.”

“Er, nice to meet you, too.” They shook hands briskly.

“Now, hold on just one minute!” Renee interjected.

Kate Spencer rounded on her. “Detective…?”

“Montoya.”

“Right, Detective Montoya.” Kate flashed a sardonic smile. “I need to discuss the situation with my client in private.”

Renee didn’t look the least bit amused. “We were right in the middle of—”

“And I’ll let you return to whatever you were doing, but first I will be speaking to my client,” Kate said, raising one eyebrow expectantly.

Grumbling, Renee led them back to the room Kara had been held in for several hours. “I guess I'll wait outside, then?” It was hard to miss the scorn in the detective’s voice.

Kate Spencer placed her briefcase down on the table. “Close the door. I'll let you know when we're ready for you.”

Kara waited until the door was properly closed before rounding on Cat. “Ms. Grant! What are you doing here?”

“Please, Kiera. Did you really think I would just let you be dragged out of the building without doing anything?” Cat crossed her arms over her chest.

“I was hardly ‘dragged out’,” Kara protested.

“Nevertheless,” Cat said, her eyes flashing. “Kate has agreed to help get you out of here.”

“Speaking of which,” Kate said. “I need to have a word with the good detective.” She paused at the door, looking back them. “Cat, I promised you some time alone. This is it.” She yanked the door open and let herself out. “Detective, why don't we have a discussion…” The door cut off the rest of her words.

* * *

Cat sighed in relief once they were alone. She was glad that Kate had agreed to come—the woman was always adamant that she leave her work at a decent time so that her evenings were free to care for her young son—and she hadn’t been happy to receive Cat’s call so late in the day. She’d been even less pleased to be told that her services were required immediately.

“How much did you tell her?” Kara asked, gaining Cat’s attention.

“I told her enough.” Kate’s professionalism stopped her from asking too many questions. Cat turned her back to the door. “I’m sure we don’t have long before they return.”

When Cat had phoned Kate back at CatCo, she’d agreed to pay twice her usual retainer if Kate was able to provide her some privacy with Kara. Cat supposed that she better break out her checkbook.

“Cat...” Kara shook her head.

“Relax,” Cat hissed. “I didn't tell her about how you—” She sighed. Cat still couldn’t verbalize it. “I just told her that he attacked me and who he was working for. Kate hates corrupt politicians as much as I do.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Kara sat heavily in one of the open seats and ran a hand through her hair. “This was dangerous. I overheard them; the mayor is taking this as his chance to get rid of me. Or silence me.” She shrugged.

“All the more reason to get you out of here before he has you thrown in prison!” Cat snapped, making a great effort to keep her voice down.

“You and I both know that there isn't a prison that could hold me.” Kara reminded her, eyes locked on her face.

“You don't want that,” Cat said, shaking her head. “You wouldn't have kept it hidden all this time if it was so easy for you to shrug off Kara Danvers.” She knew that was the reason Kara had kept the truth from her.

Cat watched as Kara’s uncertainty bled through the mask Kara was trying to maintain. “No, I don’t want that.” Kara leaned back and let her hands rest on the table.

“So we let Kate fix this mess. We let her talk your way out of here and we get that bastard.” Cat sat in the other chair, placing a hand over Kara’s. “But you have to let me help.” Kara’s eyes were fixed on their hands and Cat quickly pulled back. “Sorry.” It had just been an instinct to reach out and comfort her.

Kara shook head, reaching forward and enclosing Cat’s one hand with both of hers, lightly turning her hand over until her palm was facing upwards. Kara’s hands were warm and her skin was soft; it made Cat shiver slightly. “No, it’s just—” Kara took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

The door opened and Kate returned, causing Kara to withdraw her hands. “Sorry, Cat. Kara, it's time to get you processed.”

Cat frowned, disappointed by the loss of contact. “What are they charging her with, exactly?”

“Obstruction of justice to start. Destruction of evidence. And they’ve got a warrant for her phone records.”

Cat looked at Kara sharply. “Kara—”

“It's fine, Cat. I've got it handled.” Cat wasn't so sure that was true but thee was nothing she could say about it in present company. 

“Ms. Danvers?” It was the detective. Cat noticed a glint of silver and saw that she was holding a pair of handcuffs.

“Are those really necessary?” Kate asked incredulously.

“It's protocol.” Montoya stepped forward, grabbing one of Kara's hands and placing the cuffs on her wrists until the Kara was restrained with her arms in front. “Let's go.”

“We’ll get you out,” Cat promised. “Soon.”

“I'm fine, Cat.” Montoya gripped Kara by the upper arm. “Really.”

Cat nails bit into her palms as she watched Kara being matched from the room. When they could no longer hear their retreating footsteps, Cat turned to her lawyer. “So what happens now?”

“I’ll contact whatever prosecutor from the District Attorney that will be assigned to her case and schedule her arraignment for as quickly as possible. NCPD usually has a couple of judges on duty. They'll set bail and then we can get her out of here.”

“Alright.” Cat nodded. "I'll cover the cost, whatever it is."

Kate nodded. “You know, it’s still going to take several hours before I’m able to get her out of here. You should go get some res—”

“I’m not leaving.” She had paid Carter’s nanny to stay with him overnight; she didn't have anywhere to be until this was resolved. "I'll out in the waiting room."

"Get comfortable," Kate advised her. "It's going to be a long night."

Cat scoffed and headed out of the interrogation room. She was determined not to leave unless Kara was coming with her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I tried my best with the legal jargon. Hopefully I didn't mangle it too badly. 
> 
> I had hoped to wrap this up in 7 chapters but it might be stretched to 8. We'll see. 
> 
> See you guys soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long, I'd been having a hard time for a few weeks and it has taken me a bit to put myself back together enough to write. 
> 
> My plan had been to finish this in 7 chapters but it was getting too long so I'm extending it to 8.

“Cat! Wake up!” Cat jerked awake to see Kate standing over her, looking harried.

Blinking against the harsh light, Cat was surprised to find herself stiff and slumped down in the vinyl chair. She surreptitiously wiped a bit of drool off of the corner of her mouth as she righted herself in her seat. “What time is it?”

Kate checked her watch. “It’s just after five in the morning. But...we have a problem.”

Cat’s eyes narrowed. “What is it?”

“The judge is denying bail.”

“What?!” Cat blanched, jumping up despite her protesting muscles. “How can they do that? They have no physical evidence tying her to the scene and she’s never had any kind of record!”

“The DA is claiming that she’s a flight risk.” Kate shook her head.

“How ironic,” Cat muttered, making a small, undignified sound.

“What was that?”

Cat shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just that I told you that this was a frame up!” Cat started pacing, furious.

“I can file an appeal and try and kick this up to the higher courts but there’s not much we can do for now.”

“So, what? We just leave her here?” Cat knew she shouldn’t be so worried—it wasn’t like Kara could be physically hurt—but there was something about the idea of Kara spending any amount of time in a jail cell that caused Cat’s anxiety to spike.

“Not here, specifically.” Kate sighed. “She’ll likely stay here over the weekend and then get moved to the women’s detention facility up in Lynwood to await trial. In the meantime we can leak the story. Kara’s the kind of girl that would inspire sympathy and I know that you know how to spin a story. I know everything that she found on the mayor was all circumstantial but it should be enough to get a federal investigator onboard.”

“No. No press.” Cat shook her head.

“Why not? Cat, you know that there will be press regardless! The mayor will want to drag her name through the mud.” Kate shook her head. “You don’t have to be connected to the story but at least you can help shape it!”

“It’s not an option,” Cat said through her teeth.

Kate sighed. “Then, she’s looking at a tough trial.”

Cat sat back down, her face falling. She knew Kate was right. A trial would be a long, drawn out process. Her face was likely to be splashed over every publication whether Cat owned them or not. It would put Kara’s identity into greater danger than she was in now.

Cat thought of the dossier she once collected with every conceivable scrap of evidence that she thought proved Kara to be Supergirl. How long would it be before the wrong person up dug up a fact about Kara that raised too many suspicions? How long before someone noticed that Kara looked strikingly like Supergirl, as she had once? And then there was the issue of the hero’s disappearance to contend with.

How many crimes and disasters did Supergirl avert on a daily basis? Two? Three? More? How many people would suffer or die because Kara was stuck in jail?

“What if I said it was me?” she asked quietly.

Kate’s head whipped around so fast that she probably kinked her neck. “Cat, no. Be reasonable.”

“I am.” Cat stood.

A smaller, more rational, part of Cat’s brain was trying to reason that it wasn’t any fairer to blame herself for the ills of the world than it was to blame Kara for not intervening but she couldn’t help it. Quashing that side of her brain was a lot harder when she realized that no one would be dying if it was her sitting in that jail cell instead of Kara.

“We talked about this.” Kate gripped her shoulders. “All that would do is make this situation uglier. You told me that was the reason you didn’t call me in the first place. For Carter, remember?”

“This is infuriating!” Cat shrugged off Kate’s grip.

“What is it about this girl, Cat? Is it—do you have feelings for her?” Kate asked, obviously misreading the situation.

“What? No!” Cat dismissed the idea immediately.

“Cat,” Kate said, giving her a look of disbelief.

Cat was about to verbalize another denial and stopped. Kara being Supergirl wasn’t her secret to tell but there was no harm in letting Kate believe that some kind of attraction between them was the reason for her worry. Besides, wasn’t there some truth to what Kate was suggestion? She felt more for Kara than she had for anyone other than her sons in a long time.

They were friends, of a sort, and confidants, certainly. It was true that Kara was one of the few people that Cat could stand to spend an extended amount of time around, and she found her opinions fresh and engaging. Cat would have to be blind to not have noticed Kara’s effortless good looks or her well-muscled body, despite how the hero hid behind her glasses and department store clothing.

Cat had known for a long time that Kara admired her work ethic and power—Cat supposed that the same could be said for her. She shook her head. This was not the time to unpack those feelings.

“Cat, trust me, I can get her out of this but you have to give it some time,” Kate begged her.

“Just...” Cat sighed, the fight leaving her. “Get her out of here, Kate. Please.”

Kate nodded. “Well, there are a few people who owe me a few favors. I’ll see if I can get an injunction to hold her here instead of transferring her.” She turned and disappeared beyond the doors.

Cat sat heavily, holding her head in her hands. She didn’t know how successful Kate would be when the deck was so clearly stacked against Kara. She was supposed to be the most powerful person in National City but she couldn’t think of anything besides hiring a shark to defend Kara, which she had already done—what a joke. She settled back into her uncomfortable seat and tried to get some more rest.

A few fruitless hours later, the silence in the room was disturbed when a lithe brunette in a cheap pantsuit came barreling in, bypassing a protesting receptionist and a boggled looking patrolman. Despite not being formally introduced during the chaos of myriad, Cat knew the newcomer immediately. It was Alex Danvers, Kara’s sister. Relief blossomed in Cat’s chest. Maybe they weren’t out of hope yet.

“Hey! You can’t just come in here!” The receptionist cried.

“Watch me,” Alex snapped. Cat jumped up, drawing Alex’s attention. Changing course, Alex stalked towards her. “Where is she?”

“In holding, for the moment.” Cat jerked her head to the door that she’d seen Kate go through. “My lawyer, Kate Spencer, is here. They denied her bail.”

“She won’t need it.”

Cat’s eyes narrowed. “Alright, well let me call Kate—” She pulled her phone out but Alex shook her head.

“Don’t bother,” Alex snapped. “I’ll get her out of this without your help.” The other woman tried to breeze past her. “You’ve done enough.”

Cat grabbed Alex’s arm to halt her. Had Cat been anyone else she probably would have flinched at the venom in Alex’s voice and the seething anger in her expression. But Cat wasn’t just anyone and they had more important things to do than argue. “Ms. Danvers, you’re right about this mess being my fault but, please...” It physically pained her to say that word. “Let me help get Kara out of it.”

Alex stared her down, probably trying to find a false note in Cat’s statement. “Fine,” she said finally. “But I’m not here as Kara’s sister. I’m here as an FBI agent and I’ll have a cover name.” She pulled a badge out of her pocket and handed it over.

“It better be something cleverer than changing the first letter of your name,” Cat quipped, opening the small leather holder. “Because I swear, if this says Agent Manvers or something equally ridiculous—” Cat broke off when she saw a perfectly humdrum surname on the fake badge. “Alexandra Moore. Well, I suppose that’s not too bad.” Cat retrieved her phone. “What should I tell my lawyer?”

“Tell the lawyer that a federal agent is here to take charge of the investigation.”

Cat nodded, dialing. “Kate,” she said when the other line picked up. “I need you to get back here.”

“Cat, I’m right in the middle—”

“There’s a federal agent here; I need you to come and bring us back.”

There was a beat of silence on the other line. “Cat, I don’t know if this is the best time…”

“Trust me, Kate. This will put things in our favor.” Cat could see Alex roll her eyes in response. Cat ignored her.

“I’ll be right out,” Kate sighed, hanging up. Moments later, Kate appeared. “This better be good.”

“It is.” Alex extended her hand. “Alex Moore, FBI.”

“Agent Moore, I didn’t know the Bureau was looking into this matter,” Kate said briskly, shaking Alex’s hand.

Alex’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “It’s not typical, but we thought the FBI’s presence in this matter would be warranted, considering the possible corruption in local circles.”

Kate nodded. “Very well; have you been briefed on the status of my client?”

“Not completely,” Alex said.

“Well, I was just arguing with the DA and the arresting officer to try and keep Ms. Danvers here at the precinct rather than transferring her.” Kate held the door open for them to pass through. “I imagine that you’d like to take her into custody instead?”

“Better. I’m going to have her released.”

Kate smirked. “That’s what I like to hear.” They entered a separate room where Renee Montoya and a balding man, Cat assumed was the District Attorney, were waiting.

“Ms. Spencer,” the district attorney lamented. “You can’t just bring civilians into these proceedings.”

“This is Agent Moore of the FBI.” Kate gestured to Alex, who flashed her badge. “Hardly a civilian. This is the arresting officer, Detective Renee Montoya, and Assistant District Attorney Mike Deter.” Kate gestured to everyone in turn.

Alex pulled a warrant from her jacket and handed it to Mike. “I’m here to take over the investigation and take custody of all of the evidence. The NCPD will no longer make any inquiries into Snapper Carr’s disappearance.”

“Now, wait just a-a minute—” Mike protested, sputtering slightly as he read the missive.

“Furthermore,” Alex pressed on. “I’m here to order the immediate release of Kara Danvers.”

Renee stiffened. “Kara Danvers hasn’t been cleared; she has no alibi and I know in my gut that she’s hiding something. Unless you can get a release order from a judge—”

“I have proof of life for Snapper Carr.” Alex announced, stunning the room into silence.

Cat did a double take. “You…what?” she hissed. What the hell was Alex talking about?

Alex ignored her, pulling a photo out of a file “Photos of him crossing the border into Tijuana.”

Everyone leaned in to examine the photo. It showed Snapper driving a beat up Chevy Tahoe and conversing with the Border Patrol. It was date stamped at two in the morning.

Cat couldn’t believe her eyes. Snapper was dead—she’d been the one to kill him, after all. She’d watched as Kara had destroyed the body. How in the hell could Kara’s sister manufactu—?

Cat’s mind flashed back to the two other times she’d seen two of someone. Kara had been the one to produce a copy of Supergirl to circumvent her secret, and Cat couldn’t forget the time Kara had appeared at the office, late, and seemed completely different. Obviously, some similar tactic was being used here.

“How…?” Mike blinked stupidly at the picture. He coughed, recovering slightly. “How do we know these are authentic?”

“There’s a video file, too.” Alex tossed a thumb drive onto the table. “It originated from the Border Patrol’s servers and I have everything showing the chain of custody for obtaining it.”

“Where’d the tip come from?” Renee asked, her brow furrowed.

“The Bureau has been investigating the situation in connection with a criminal corruption case.” Alex smirked as Mike started sweating. Despite Cat’s surprise, she couldn’t help the feeling of petty satisfaction she felt watching the mayor’s stooge squirm. “Obviously, he panicked and decided to flee. He probably thought that faking his death and laying low until now would work in his favor.”

Kate shook off the shock, squaring her shoulders. “I need to take these and see a judge. I want my client out of here within the hour.”

Mike winced. “Of course. I’ll call the judge.” He moved to the door.

“I’ll go with you.” Kate leaned in to where Cat could hear. “I’m not letting him out of my sight to try and call the mayor first,” she whispered as she passed. “And you and I need to talk later.”

Cat waved her off, not sure what she was going to tell her friend when she returned. How could she explain anything when she didn’t know herself?

* * *

Kara strode up and down the length of the cell, keeping as close as she could to the wall without getting close to the questionable stain in the corner of the room. Kara had started the night alone in the five by ten foot cell but the room had gotten steadily more cramped as detainees had arrived, many in varying states of drunkenness.

Several had come and gone as bail had been posted or they’d been moved elsewhere but the few women that remained had taken up room as they’d stretched out on the few benches to sleep off the alcohol. This left Kara with the option of sitting on the floor or standing the entire time, something that her kryptonian physiology could handle but would raise too many questions. To disguise this, Kara paced.

The night was long gone; Kara could sense that the sun was shining down on National City, promising to be a warm day despite being so late in the year. She estimated that it was around nine in the morning; Kate Spencer had been by a few hours earlier to inform Kara that her bail had been denied. She knew it wouldn’t be easy to get out of here as Cat had promised—even the Queen of all Media had her limits.

Kara wasn’t worried about how long it would take to get her out of here, Alex would come for her, but she couldn’t help worrying about the fact that Cat had spent the entire night here, slumped in a chair in the general lobby. Aside from the obvious issues of hygiene Cat must have been worried about, Kara knew that sleeping sitting up was not comfortable for humans, let alone Cat Grant. The woman only sat in lumbar supportive chairs because ‘I’m less effective if my back hurts, Kiera, and if I’m suffering then you all will, too.’

Kara smiled at the memory. The way Cat would tell it, it was only the CEO’s comfort that mattered but Kara knew that Cat also ordered office chairs for her employees with the same concerns in mind.

Kara looked to the familiar spot on the wall where she had the clearest view of the waiting room, lowering her glasses and squinting to activate her x-ray vision. Kara frowned, however, to find the seat Cat had claimed empty. Kara widened her search, eyes flitting left and right to find the other woman. Had she left? Finally, going home or back to CatCo?

Kara was about to give up when she spotted Cat in a room with the lawyers, her eyes widening when she realized who else was there. It was her sister! Kara nearly laughed in relief. If Alex was here then she probably didn’t have to be worried about being in here too long—

“What are you smirking at, cardigan?”

“What?” Kara asked, returning to her normal vision and seeing that there was a large woman in a leather jacket that was decked out with biker patches coming right at her.

“Don’t ‘what’ me! You were staring and smirking,” the woman spat at her. Kara could smell stale alcohol coming from her pores. “Are we gonna have an issue?”

“No issue,” Kara said quickly, holding her hands up. “Nope, I was just, uh, staring off into space. You know, because I was bored? I promise; I wasn’t staring at you.”

“Are you calling me a liar?” The other woman clenched her hand into a fist.

“No. Of course not.” She tried laughing it off but the biker woman let out a noise that sounded like a growl. Kara backed up slightly and hit the wall. Crap, she thought grimly. There was no room in here; there was no way for Kara to adequately fake a fight.

Kara saw the punch coming and did the only thing she could think of to stop the woman from breaking her hand on her jaw. She dodged the punch, slipping to the left and twisting out of the biker’s grip as the woman’s fist hit the wall with a nasty crunch.

“Ooh,” Kara muttered—so much for not breaking the woman’s hand. Her opponent cradled her arm, holding it close to her body as she alternated between howling with pain and cursing Kara emphatically. “Oops?”

The woman lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. The others around them stirred. The commotion was enough to wake the few who were still sleeping from their nap and they cleared room, encircling them. The woman on top of her tried to hit her with her elbow and good hand but Kara grasped them firmly, not letting go to keep her from breaking any more appendages.

Jeers and shouts swirled in the air, both egging them on and pleas for them to stop, alerting the guards to the fight. Kara would just have to hold on to the struggling woman for another few moments.

“Break it up!” The guards arrived and the crowd moved to let them through. “Break it up!”

In a last ditch effort to injure her, the woman aimed a well-placed head-butt at Kara, her attack doing nothing more that bouncing off against Kara’s skull. She let out a weak groan and slumped in Kara’s arms—she’d hit her with enough force to knock herself out.

“What the—?” The guards dragged the limp body off of her, their expressions turning puzzled when they realized what had happened. “What did you do?” One asked, sounding awestruck.

Kara scrambled to her feet. “Hey, she attacked me!” She grabbed for her glasses, which had fallen to the floor and jammed them back onto her face.

“Alright, let’s go.” The guard grabbed her by the arm, bringing a pair of handcuffs out with his other hand. “I think it’ll be better for everyone if you’re in a room by yourself.” Kara sighed as the handcuffs clicked closed around her wrists for the second time.

They had taken two steps outside of the holding cell when Renee Montoya cut them off. “Trevor, what are you doing with Danvers?”

The guard, Trevor, stiffened. “There was a fight. I’m breaking up those involved.”

Just then, the remaining two guards carried her opponent, groaning piteously, past them. Montoya’s face showed surprise, her eyebrows shooting up. Kara purposely did not meet her gaze.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now,” Renee sighed. “She’s being released. The investigation is being taken over by the Feds.”

The corner of Kara’s mouth turned up in relief. She’d known Alex would come through eventually. If Renee noticed Kara’s change of expression, she resolutely ignored it, leading Kara out to where Alex was waiting with the lawyer Cat had hired for her.

“Well, here she is Ms. Spencer, Agent Moore.” Alex nodded; this was obviously her cover for the day. Renee uncuffed her and Kara remembered to pretend to rub her wrists. Renee picked a bag up off the floor. “Here are your personal belongings.”

“Thanks,” Kara mumbled, taking the bag.

“All set?” Kate Spencer asked. Kara nodded mutely. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Right this way, Ms. Danvers,” Alex said, her voice low. Kara could practically feel the anger rolling off of her older sister. She was in for a lecture—that much was sure.

Kara followed Alex and the lawyer through the hall and to the double doors she’d been led through when they’d arrested her. One last door and they were out to the lobby where Cat was waiting, pacing back and forth.

“Kiera! Finally,” Cat muttered, stalking forward.

“Ms. Grant, you know, you didn’t have to wait.” Kara was glad she had, though.

Cat scoffed. “I wasn’t just going to leave you here. Who would light a fire under these idiots?” Kara couldn’t help the small smile that made her way onto her face. It was just like Cat to hide her worry behind sarcasm.

Kate rolled her eyes before checking her watch. “I should get going; I want to get home for a few hours before I have to pick up my son. Ms. Danvers, it was nice to meet you. Hopefully, you won’t require my services in the future.” Kara was halfway through giving the woman her thanks when she turned on her heel to give Cat a pointed glance. “Cat, a word?”

Taking that as their cue, Alex jerked her head to the exit. “Kara, let’s go.”

Kara hesitated. She looked at Cat, wanting to say more but not knowing where to start. _Thank you for staying. I still want to talk. What’s going to happen now?_ “Ms. Grant?”

“Go, I’ll catch up in a moment,” Cat told her, looking weary.

Nodding, Kara followed Alex out of the building. “For someone who’s practically indestructible, you were pretty damn close to losing everything.”

“I know.”

“Of all the stupid, idiotic things—”

“I know, Alex. I get it.”

“Do you, Kara? Do you? Because the amount of favors I had to cash in to make this happen…” Alex shook her head.

Cat joined them then, nearly jogging to catch up with them. “Maybe you could keep the lecture down until you’re in private?” Cat hissed, glancing pointedly around them. “Especially since it seems we have an audience.”

Both Kara and Alex glanced behind them, spotting Renee Montoya watching them from the exit. “Fine, we’ll continue this discussion later,” Alex said.

“Right.” Kara knew that it was time to fill her sister in on everything.

“Let’s just get you home for now—” Alex broke off when there was a beeping coming from her phone. She pulled the device out and checked her messages. “Its work, we need to go.”

Kara took the look Alex was giving her to mean that Supergirl intervention was needed. “Um, okay.” She threw a sidelong glance at Cat.

“Go.” Cat sighed. “I have to go check on the office anyways.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later?” Kara asked, hopeful.

Cat nodded. “Later,” she promised.

“Kara.” Alex was waiting.

Kara turned and followed her sister. When they were close to Alex’s car, she asked, “So, what are we dealing with?”

Alex unlocked the car, pulling open the driver’s door. “Alien with four arms is rampaging across a high school. No injuries so far but there’s a lot of property damage.”

“My suit?” Kara asked, pausing outside the car.

“It’s here in the back.” Alex reached over the center console to pull out a bag. “Winn dropped it off earlier.”

“Thanks. Meet you there?”

“Yeah, meet you there.” Alex nodded.

Kara looked around to make sure that no one was looking before taking off, landing on the roof of a nearby building to change. After that, it was a quick flight to the high school, the police sirens leading her to the chaos.

The fight took longer than Kara had anticipated. She’d had to lure the attacking alien out of the populated area into the valley behind the school to halt any further damage. Her opponent got in several good hits—there were too many arms to keep track of—but by the time Alex had arrived with reinforcements, Kara had incapacitated them. A quick ride back to the DEO and they had neutralized the threat, leaving Kara and Alex alone.

“So,” Alex started. “Do you want to tell me why you did it?”

“Alex—” Kara shook her head.

“No, Kara.” Alex stepped in front of her. “I want to know why you took such a risk. I want to know you committed a _felony_ just to protect Cat Grant.”

Kara looked at the floor, a muscle in her jaw flexing as she ground her teeth. “She called me. She needed help and I panicked.”

“Why did you panic? You’ve been in plenty of sticky situations before and you’re kept your head. Hell, you’ve even been in sticky situations with Cat and you thought things through more than you did now! Why was this different?”

“Because I thought I was going to lose her! It was my fault—again—that she was in danger. Except this time, I wasn’t there to save her before she nearly died and then she was ready to turn herself in, to ruin her life because of me.” Kara looked up at the ceiling, blinking against the tears that were filling her eyes. “So I panicked and I did the first thing that I could think of.”

Alex‘s eyes widened and when she spoke next, her tone had softened. “Kara, do you have…feelings for Cat Grant?”

Kara was about to shake her head and then stopped. “I—I’ve had a crush on her for nearly three years, but this…” she trailed off.

“You’re…what? In love with her, then?” Alex whispered, stepping closer to her. Kara shrugged and Alex reached out and pulled her into a hug.

Kara took a deep breath and relaxed into the embrace. “It doesn’t matter, anyways. There’s no way she’d ever feel the same.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Kara tilted her head, eyes narrowing. “Why do you say that?”

“Because Cat Grant stayed all night in that waiting room, paid for one of the best lawyers in the city, and she even stood up to me when I told her to get lost.” Alex shrugged. “That sounds an awful lot like she cares about you, too.”

Kara shook her head. “Maybe.” She and Cat were friends at best. “Anyways, I better get home. I still smell like jail.”

“Alright. Don’t get arrested again on your way home,” Alex teased.

Kara’s shoulders relaxed. If Alex was teasing her then things would get back to normal. “Scout’s honor,” she chorused.

“You were never a girl scout.”

Kara smiled. “Actually, remember that charity meeting I did with the local scout group?” Alex nodded. “They made me an honorary member.”

“Fine, I’ll take your word for it.” Alex pulled her into a hug. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” She pulled back. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Alex nodded. “Tomorrow.”

With that promise, Kara left the DEO, desperate for a shower and a bite to eat.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter!

Kara entered her apartment building, making sure to greet the few people who were on the stairs on the way up. The consensus seemed to be that everyone was glad that she’d gotten the issue with the police straightened out; most of her neighbors had been extremely confused when the police had questioned them. When all of her neighbor’s fears had been assuaged, Kara retreated to her apartment, longing for a shower.   

Any thoughts of relaxing, however, were abandoned when she saw the mess that left for her. Her studio had been overturned; drawers were open, cabinets were thrown wide, the pillows on the couch were overturned.   

“You have got to be kidding me,” Kara lamented, sighing deeply. She walked over to her kitchenette and began straightening the cabinets.   

_Knock, knock._  

Kara paused with her hand on the cupboard, turning towards the door and employing her x-ray vision. Cat was standing just beyond the door, her foot tapping in a way that projected impatience but Kara knew meant that Cat was nervous.  

“I'll be right there!” Kara called, opening the door. “Ms. Grant! What are you doing here?”  

“Kara,” Cat said, drawing out the syllables in her name in the way that still set Kara’s stomach fluttering. Cat stepped past her into the apartment. “I thought we had the name thing straightened out.”   

“Sorry, Cat. I just didn’t expect to see you.” She closed the front door.  

“Well, we didn't get a chance to touch base after everything.” Cat stopped venturing any further in the apartment, staring around Kara’s apartment, mouth agape. “What the hell happened here?”

  “It’s from when they searched it.” Kara shrugged. This was the first time that Cat had been anywhere near her apartment—she was a little in the dark. “Uh, do you want to sit?” Kara gestured to the couch and, then realizing that was still askew, used a burst of superspeed to straighten the cushions. “There.”   

Cat blinked at the spot she’d previously occupied, looking slightly unnerved. “Well, that’s efficient.” 

 “Oh, uh, sorry.” Kara wrapped her arms around herself. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just…” How could she explain that she was used to causally using her powers in her apartment, where only her sister and her friends were invited to see?  

Cat clicked her tongue. “It’s not that.” Kara held Cat’s gaze until the other woman rolled her eyes. “Okay, maybe it’s that, a little,” Cat acquiesced. “It’s just that knowing and seeing are two separate things.”  

Kara ducked her head, redistributing her weight from one foot to the other. “Right.”   

“I’m sure I’ll get used to it,” Cat added. Kara smiled. She liked the sound of that.

Cat cleared her throat. “Have you eaten?” 

 “Not yet,” Kara admits. “I wanted to shower first but—” She gestured to the mess.   

“Well, do you have a preference on what you’re hungry for?”   

“Cat, you don’t have to—”  

“It’s not just for you, Kara. I haven’t had a proper meal in over twenty-four hours, and I was just going to go home and order food anyways.”  

Kara’s stomach fluttered at the thought that Cat would be joining her. “I eat a lot.”  

“I’ve seen you demolish a box of donuts when you thought no one was looking—I’m well aware.” Kara laughed as Cat continued. “Just write down what you’d like and give me the number to whatever restaurant you think has the highest health rating.”  

Kara went to the drawer and pulled out the take out menu for her local Chinese place. “When you call, just ask for my usual and then whatever you’re going to get.”   

Cat took the menu. “I’ve got it from here. Go, shower.”  

“If you’re sure…” Kara started. Cat leveled her with a glare and Kara held her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m going.”   

Kara stopped by her dresser to grab clean clothes before locking herself in the bathroom. She put the clothes on the sink, placing a clean towel on top of the pile. Turning to the shower, Kara turned the faucet to the hottest setting, letting the bathroom fill with steam as she undressed.   Kara stepped into the shower, the water, hot enough to scald a human, was beating rhythmically against her skin, causing a sigh of relief to pass her lips. She shampooed and rinsed, taking care to scrub her skin clean of the past few days with her fresh-scented body wash. When she was satisfied, Kara shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.   

She quickly dried off before carefully tugging on a clean pair of underwear and a bra. Throwing on her favorite flannel pants and a t-shirt, Kara quickly ran a brush threw her hair and left it hanging loose around her shoulders. Kara was grateful for the steam that clouded the mirror, wondering if she should have dressed in less casual clothes but quickly dismissed the thought—her desire for comfort outweighing her embarrassment at facing Cat in her pajamas.   

She left the bathroom, heading back to the living room to find Cat perched on the edge of her couch, typing away at her phone. It took a moment to realize that the mess she’d been expecting to see was missing. “Did you…clean my apartment?”   

Cat didn’t even look up. “Please, Kara. ’Cleaned’ is a little strong—I closed some drawers and straightened a cushion or two.”   

Kara spotted the sink. “Wait, didn’t I have dirty dishes?”   

Cat scoffed. “Well, we couldn’t just eat out of the take-out cartons.”   

Kara shook her head. Leave it to Cat to do something nice and then disguise it as a selfish act. “Do you want something to drink?”   

“Alcohol, if you have any.”  

Kara crossed to her freezer and grabbed the bottle of whiskey she saved for Alex. “I have just the thing.” 

 “I wasn’t aware you drank.” Cat eyed the bottle in her hand. “And a decent brand, as well.”

 “I don’t. Much,” Kara added, pouring a generous portion into a glass. “I keep this here for my sister.” She took the drink and handed it over. “So you mentioned something earlier about going to the office?”

“I came straight from there. Everything was fine. I don’t believe anyone had caught wind of your legal troubles.” She shrugged. “You’re cleared to come back starting Monday. All your department knows is that you were out for a couple of days.”  

Kara let out a deep breath. “Good.” She’d been worried that the rumor mill would be running rampant. She was looking forward to returning back to her life.

  “And I’ve been thinking. It may be time for me to take some time away from CatCo.”

  Kara’s head snapped up. “What?! Is this because—”  

“No,” Cat said firmly, cutting across her. “I came back after the attack to prove that I could, but I feel like I need to take some time, maybe try my hand at something else.”  

Kara sat heavily. “But what about…” _Me_ , she wanted to say. “The company?”  

Cat’s eyes flashed as if she knew what Kara had really meant to say. “I built CatCo from the ground up and I did my job well. It’s time to take the training wheels off. And, maybe, if I’m not around, we wouldn’t have to worry about something like this happening again.”

“Cat, no! If anything, I’m the one to blame!” Kara exclaimed, moving to sit on the other end of the couch.   

“I told you once before, Leslie was my fault, as was Siobhan.” Cat glanced down into the bottom of her glass.

“What good would your leaving do?” Even if Cat was trying to take responsibility for those incidents, Kara couldn’t see what the benefit was.   

“You could focus on your budding reporting career, for one thing,” Cat said, giving her a wry smile. “And Supergirl won’t have to worry about what mess I’ll get into next.” Cat stood, turning away from Kara. “I’m not your boss any more, not directly anyway, you shouldn’t have to worry about me.”

  Kara jumped up, putting herself in Cat’s path. “I don’t just worry because you’re my boss—were my boss—whatever! I worry because I care about you!”  

“You care?” Cat sounded disbelieving. “Care about the person that made your life hell for three years, and who nearly got you thrown in jail?”  

Kara laid a hand on Cat’s shoulder. “Yes, I care about you.” Cat scoffed but Kara could hear her heart rate pick up. “I care about you as more than just an employee or-or a friend.”

“Kara,” Cat started slowly, her eyes narrowing as they scanned Kara’s face. “What are you saying, exactly?”

“El Mayara,” Kara whispered. 

* * *

 

 Cat could detect the unfamiliar lilt in Kara’s voice, recognizing that the phrase was Kara’s native language. Cat took a deep breath. “What does that mean?”

  “It means stronger together. It was my family’s motto.” Kara seemed to come alive as she spoke of her family. “It’s what the symbol on my suit means. I was never taught that the right thing was to go it alone. All I know is that,” Kara paused to take a breath. “I’m better because of you. Stronger.”

“Kara.” Cat clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, her throat tight.   

“If you want to go because you’re ready for that next adventure, that’s great.” Kara smiled and Cat couldn’t detect a false note in the sentiment. “But if you want to leave because you think that’s what I want or because of some misguided attempt to protect me…” Kara’s face twists as she says the last bit and Cat wonders how many times she’s heard that phrase to elicit that type of response.

“And If I’m trying to protect myself?”

Kara’s face fell. “If you don’t want me around because I keep putting you in danger,” Kara paused to take a deep breath. “Then I understand.

“That’s not—” Cat shook her head. The words slip out before Cat can stop them. She always said too much when she was around Kara; it was part of the problem. “It isn’t that I want distance from you. The problem is that I don’t.”

Kara inhaled sharply. “And if that’s something that I want, too?”

“Depends. Things would need to be clear, defined.” She had to hear Kara say it. If they were going to embark into a PR nightmare, Cat had to be sure that it was what they both wanted. “Because I wouldn’t act without knowing this was something you absolutely wanted.”

“I do,” Kara said, closing the distance between them until there were only inches apart. “I want this,” Kara broke off, her voice wavering as she glanced down to Cat’s lips. “I’d like to kiss you.”

Cat’s heart sped up and Kara glanced briefly at her chest as if she could hear it. She probably could. “By all means, then.” Cat pressed herself against Kara’s front, glad that her heels made up the difference in their heights.

Kara settled her hands on Cat’s waist and Cat could feel the warmth radiating from Kara’s palms through the thin fabric of her shirt. It wasn’t often that they were so close, the hug Supergirl gave her the only time coming to mind, and Cat allowed herself a moment to study Kara’s face in a way that she was never able to do at the office.

The lack of Kara’s glasses was more pronounced than ever as Cat gazed into Kara’s eyes; Kara’s pupils were dilated, whether from the low light in the apartment or from excitement Cat wasn’t sure, lips slightly parted, and her hair was drying in waves down her shoulders. Slightly mesmerized, Cat lifted one hand up to brush Kara’s hair back behind her shoulder.

Taking that as her cue, Kara leaned forward. Cat let her eyes slide close as their lips came in contact, reveling in the feeling. Kara’s lips were soft against hers, the scent of Kara’s lavender shampoo filling her senses. Cat let her hand cup the back of Kara’s neck, pulling her forward and silently ordering _more_.

Kara responded eagerly, increasing the pressure of her lips from soft, tentative, to long, heated kisses. Cat rewarded her by brushed her nails against Kara’s neck, delighting at the small sigh that accompanied the touch. Kara’s tongue probed lightly at Cat’s bottom lip and Cat immediately parted her lips. Emboldened, Kara’s hands began to wander alongside her tongue, gripping her back and waist, lighting Cat’s blood on fire. They finally parted when Cat needed oxygen, her breath coming in gasps.

Kara encircled Cat with her arms, holding them together, resting her forehead against Cat’s. “Wow.” 

Cat laid her hands on Kara’s chest and pressed another quick kiss against her lips. Kara chased her mouth as she pulled back, earning a raised eyebrow when they parted again.

Kara flushed, a smile growing. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

Cat shook her head. “Always so brazen.” She had to admit that she didn’t mind—Cat could see that kissing Kara would easily become addicting.

Kara looked past her, angling her head towards the door. “Our food’s here.”

The knock came a moment later and Cat stepped back, laughing. “That will be useful.”

She grabbed her purse and headed to the door, signing for the food while Kara appeared at her elbow and took the three bags from the harried looking delivery boy. By the time Cat had closed the door, Kara was unloading carton after carton of food.

“I don’t know how you can eat so much,” Cat said while Kara dashed around grabbing plates and utensils.

“Alien constitution.” Kara shrugged. “Do you want to eat on the couch or the table?”

“Whatever you usually do will be fine.” After so many years of catering to Cat’s every whim, she wanted to make it clear that Kara had just as much say in how they proceeded as she did.

“Let’s eat in the living room, then. It’s more comfortable.” Kara started carrying everything over to the small coffee table.

They settled in and started serving their own plates, Cat’s holding noticeably less, and ate in companionable silence. The food was good, for a non-starred restaurant, and Cat allowed herself second helping when she would usually abstain since Kara was already finishing her third plate.

“This is nice,” Kara offered after a while, not meeting Cat’s eyes.

Cat nodded, wondering if Kara’s sudden nerves were because she thought Cat wasn’t enjoying herself. “It is. It’s not often I have such an enjoyable first date.” She didn’t say that most of her dates were uncomfortable affairs full of suitors whose main objective was to impress upon her how important they were.

The corners of Kara’s mouth turned up. “Me neither.”

“I can’t see that being true.” Cat rolled her eyes. Kara was intelligent, beautiful, utterly unique—whoever she’d previously dated had to have seen that as well.

“No, really! The last real date I went on was from a dating website and it ended when my sister’s plane was crashing into the bay!”

Cat laughed, she could remember that incident. “That was Supergirl’s first appearance, if I recall correctly.”

“Yup.”

Kara launched into another story about her dating exploits in college and Cat found herself countering with horror tales of her own. It was easy to open up to Kara, easier than it had been with any of Cat’s other relationships. Cat wondered how much of that was borne out of the fact that Kara knew so much about her already and was still interested in more. Their conversation changed naturally from dating to other aspects of their life but it wasn’t until Cat was telling Kara about how excited Carter was about the upcoming Star Wars films that Cat remembered the that they were in for a rough road.

“You know, this won’t be easy,” Cat warned her, still breathless. “ _I’m_ not easy. The press alone…” Cat cringed just thinking of the headlines. “They wouldn’t be kind. They’ll say you’re only with me to get ahead in your career.”

“I’ve endured worse.” Kara reminds her with a wry smile.

Cat flashed back to the headlines following Supergirl’s rogue episode. “I remember. If I recall correctly, you didn’t handle it so well.”

“That was different. The city had real reason not to trust me after what happened.” Kara’s eyes softened. “You never stopped, though,” she added quietly.

“No, I never stopped believing in you.” Cat brushed Kara’s cheek with her thumb. Kara leaned into her hand. “I still think leaving might be the right thing to do—especially if we plan to make a real go of it.”

Kara sighed. “You’re probably right. I just…don’t do well with change.” Cat saw how Kara’s eyes tightened and Cat wondered how much change Kara had needed to endure in her life.

“You seem to be doing pretty well, so far.” Kara glowed beneath the praise. Cat caught a glance of the clock and saw that it was after half past nine p.m. “It’s getting late.” She didn’t know if Kara needed sleep—that would have to be a conversation for another time.

“Carter?”

“He’s spending the weekend with his father. I saw him off earlier.” She’d hugged him for as long as he’d allowed, packing him into the town car while he left her with a cheerful ‘see you in two days, mom!’ “I’m sure you’re exhausted; you’ve had a long night.”

“I’m not that tired. But if you are—”

Cat shook her head. “I’ll admit that I’ve been having trouble sleeping as of late. I’m not entirely eager to go home to an empty house.”

“Then, you’re welcome to stay,” Kara assured her. “You can even stay the night, if you want.” She bit her lip.

“Propositioning me already, are you?”

“What? No! I just meant—” Kara’s face was priceless, her eyes wide, hands gesticulating wildly.

Cat decided to take pity on her. “Kara, relax; I’m teasing you. If you really don’t mind, I’d like to stay a while longer.”

Kara let out a relieved sigh. “Let me get you another drink.”

“Water, please,” Cat said. She didn’t want to drink too much. Kara nodded, returning in no time with an unopened bottle. “So,” Cat continued. “How often do you need to sleep?”

Kara smiled, launching into an explanation of the differences between kryptonian and human biology. Cat listened, enraptured, as Kara told her stories about the universe, talking until Cat had to stifle a yawn. This time when Kara offered Cat the chance to stay over, she accepted.

Kara gave her a change of clothes and Cat was thankful that the clothes Kara offered were free of cartoon animals. They crawled into bed together, a respectful distance between them, and Kara pulled the comforter up.

“Good night, Cat,” Kara said, switching off the light on the bedside table.

“Good night, Kara.”

Kara brushed a strand of hair away from her face before she leaned and claimed her lips for a goodnight kiss.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed reading this story! Thank you to everyone who left kudos or comments, your encouragements mean the world to me!
> 
> Edit: I cut part of the ending because I realized that the flow of the story would be much more cohesive if I end it with a goodnight kiss. 
> 
> Thank you Mayka for convincing me to go with my gut and also for the revisions!


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